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D'Angelo, the R&B artist best known for his albums Brown Sugar and Voodoo, has died. In a statement to The FADER confirming the news, his representative declined to confirm a cause of death beyond it being cancer.
A statement from the family of D’Angelo reads: “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.”
Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo emerged with his debut album Brown Sugar, in 1995. As a key part of the neo-soul movement of the 1990s, his mix of R&B with soul, jazz, funk, and hip-hop influences established him as one of the most original and individual artists of his generation.
In 2000, D'Angelo delivered his second album Voodoo. That project was home to “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” a song that earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and is perhaps remembered for its iconic semi-nude music video.
”We didn’t want an on-screen love interest,” his manager Dominique Trenier told the New York Times shortly after the video’s release. “We wanted him to be able to make contact with whoever was watching it one-on-one.”
Trenier, echoing D'Angelo's own feelings, added that the hypersexualization that followed did not sit comfortably with the star. “I’m glad the video did what it did,” Trenier added, “but he and I were both disappointed because, to this day, in the general populace’s memory, he’s the naked dude.”
D’Angelo stepped away from the spotlight for over a decade before returning in 2014 wih Black Messiah, a politically-minded album recorded with his band The Vangaurd. The album was a surprise release, dropping amid nationwide unrest around racially-motivated shootings in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City.
In the past decade D'Angelo has kept a relatively low profile, though he contributed to the soundtrack for the 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2 and took part in a 2021 Verzuz event at New York's Apollo Theater. In 2024 he appeared alongside Jay-Z on "I Want You Forever," a song from the religious satire The Book of Clarence.
Last year, Raphael Saadiq told Rolling Stone that D'Angelo was working on a new album, saying, "He's excited ... He's working on six pieces right now and he seems super excited."
D'Angelo was scheduled to headline the 2025 Roots Picnic in May but pulled out owing to “an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery [he] had earlier this year.” He leaves behind three children; a son he had with the singer Angie Stone in 1998, plus a daughter born in 1999 and a son born in 2010. Stone died in March after a van she was travelling in overturned in Alabama.
Speaking in 2014 as part of a Red Bull Music Academy event, D'Angelo spoke about the importance of the church in his musical education and how it informed his artistry. "The thing about the church is, what I learned early, they used to say don’t go up there for no form or fashion," he said. "I guess what that means is, listen, we’re up here singing for the Lord, so don’t be up here trying to be cute, you know? Because we don’t care about all that. We just want to feel what you, you know, what the spirit is moving through you. And that’s the best place to learn that. You know, so you shut yourself down and you let whatever’s coming come through you."