Today we celebrate the life and legacy of 4-time Grammy-winner and legendary soul singer, songwriter, musician, and producer D’Angelo, who passed away Tuesday morning from pancreatic cancer at 51. According to sources, he was in hospice for the last 2 weeks but had been hospitalized for months.
Billboard named him one of the greatest R&B artists and Rolling Stone magazine called him "soul music's visionary" and ranked him 75th on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
He first gained attention after co-writing and co-producing the 1994 single U Will Know by R&B supergroup Black Men United. His debut album in 1995, Brown Sugar, was certified platinum and is credited for launching neo-soul. His second album, Voodoo, debuted at number one 5 years later and was also certified platinum while the video of the first single Untitled (How Does It Feel) turned him into an instant sex symbol and earned him the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, and the album itself won Best R&B Album.
D’Angelo was born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia. His father was a Pentecostal preacher and his older brother spotted his musical talent very early in life, when he found him playing a song on the piano in their house at just 3 years old. D’Angelo later said he always knew music would be his calling.
He formed his first group Precise in high school and found success performing in the Amateur Night competition at New York’s Apollo Theater in 1991 with three consecutive wins and cash prizes. At 18, he dropped out of school and moved to New York City to develop his music career.
In the 1990s, he dated and collaborated with Angie Stone who we lost earlier this year in a car accident. They shared a son, Michael Archer Jr., who is 27 now and known professionally as Swayvo Twain. D’Angelo’s other two children—daughter, Imani Archer, born in 1999, and son, Morocco, born in 2010—also share their father’s passion for music and shared messages about his loss via social media.
Celebrities from Maxwell and Jamie Foxx to Missy Elliott and Beyonce have all been expressing what his loss means to them and the entertainment world since his death was announced earlier this week.
May we continue to remember and celebrate his life and legacy... & Remember to always celebrate our magic, too! xo