With reports signaling a battle with pancreatic cancer, we can officially confirm the untimely loss of Neo-Soul legend D’Angelo.
It never gets easier to report on the umtimely losses of our culture, and this one is going to hit you hard. We are sad to confirm that R&B legend D’Angelo has passed away at the age of 51 years old.
The singer’s family confirmed the news in a statement to Fader, saying;
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life…After a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to his fans around the world as D’Angelo, has been called home, departing this life today, October 14th, 2025.
We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time but invite you all join us in mourning his passing while also celebrating the gift of song that he has left for the world.”
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Although reports are still a bit unclear and point to a battle with pancreatic cancer as the cause of death, his family has understandably requested privacy at this very painful time for everyone. For the many D’Angelo fans out there, to lose such a prolific musician is crushing, and the blow is felt even greater when considering the loss of his ex-partner in music and life, Angie Stone, less than a year ago.
More information on this immense loss to the world of R&B below, via TMZ:
“Grammy-winning R&B soul singer D’Angelo is dead from pancreatic cancer … TMZ has learned.
The ‘Brown Sugar’ singer-songwriter died Tuesday morning in NYC … according to sources connected to his family and his former manager Kedar Massenberg.
D’Angelo was a singular talent who collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Q-Tip … after bursting onto the scene in 1995 with his solo debut album, “Brown Sugar.”
He won 4 Grammys, including Best R&B Album for ‘Voodoo’ in 2001 and ‘Black Messiah’ in 2016. He also won Best R&B Song in 2016 for ‘Really Love’ and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel).’”
Not much is known about D’Angelo’s life in recent years. His official Instagram account has been completely wiped for a while now, and on Twitter/X his last post was in promotion of the equally mysterious Slingbaum One project in 2020 that has yet to materialize into much of anything. His last official body of music was over a decade ago with the release of Black Messiah, a joint project with a collective deemed as The Vanguard and what was expected to be a “comeback” album; at that point, it was his first album in 14 years.