D’Angelo dead at 51: Grammy-winning soul music icon passes after cancer battle
Iconic soul singer D’Angelo has died aged 51.
Daily Mail has confirmed that Grammy-winning star, best known for hits including Brown Sugar and Untitled (How Does It Feel), passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The singer is survived by two sons and a daughter as the mother of his first son, R&B star Angie Stone, died tragically in a car accident at 63 in March of this year.
A representative for the artist released a statement to Daily Mail which began: ‘It is with profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts that I confirm the passing of Michael D’Angelo Archer.
‘D’Angelo passed away earlier today, October 14, 2025, in New York City. He was 51 years old.’
The rep indicates that there will be an official statement on the crooner’s passing in the coming days along with an announcement regarding his memorial services.
Iconic soul singer D’Angelo has died aged 51 – pictured 2015
They wrote: ‘This is a monumental loss, not only for his family and loved ones but for the millions around the world who were touched by his revolutionary artistry.
‘D’Angelo was a genius, a force of nature whose music shifted the landscape of soul and R&B. More importantly, he was a cherished son, brother, and friend whose absence leaves an immeasurable void.’
The statement also says that the family are in the initial stages of ‘immense grief’ and they ask that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.
D’Angelo won four Grammys including Best R&B Album for Voodoo in 2001 and Black Messiah in 2016.
In addition to the mother of his child, Stone, he also worked with iconic R&B singers Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill.
He also collaborated with some of the biggest names in hip-hop including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, and Q-Tip.
The star also scored Best R&B Song in 2016 for Really Love and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Untitled (How Does It Feel).
Daily Mail has confirmed that Grammy-winning star (pictured in 2000), best known for hits including Brown Sugar and Untitled (How Does It Feel), passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer
A representative for the artist released a statement to Daily Mail which began: ‘It is with profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts that I confirm the passing of Michael D’Angelo Archer’ (pictured in New York back in February 2021)
The 2000 music video for Untitled (How Does It Feel) is also one of the most iconic from the genre as it featured the singer fully naked while singing solo against a black background (pictured in 1999)
However, the fame was not easy on the star as he became increasingly uncomfortable with his growing status as a sex symbol during that time (D’Angelo is pictured in June 2000)
The 2000 music video for Untitled (How Does It Feel) is also one of the most iconic from the genre as it featured the singer fully naked while singing solo against a black background.
However, the fame was not easy on the star as he became increasingly uncomfortable with his growing status as a sex symbol during that time.
It resulted by numerous personal struggles, including alcoholism, which limited his musical outfit for several years.
His last album titled Black Messiah, which was released after a decade of the artist being out of the public eye, with his band The Vanguard was released in December 2014 to critical acclaim as it made several year’s best albums lists.
It debuted at No. 5 on the US Billboard Charts in addition to No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list as it sold over 117,000 units in its first week.
The star appeared to be on the verge of making a music comeback as collaborator Raphael Saadiq told the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast in September 2024 that D’Angelo was working on releasing a new album.
The 59-year-old Tony! Toni! Toné! member said at the time: ‘He’s excited … He’s working on six pieces right now and he seems super excited.’
Earlier this year the mother of his first son, the aforementioned R&B star Angie Stone, passed away after a horrific Alabama car crash which claimed her life back in March.
It resulted by numerous personal struggles, including alcoholism, which limited his musical outfit for several years (pictured performing in New Orleans in July 2012)
Meanwhile, last month D’Angelo’s son Michael D’Angelo Archer II AKA Swayvo Train and Angie’s other daughter Diamond Stone and filed a wrongful death lawsuit this week in Gwinnett County, Georgia, naming the drivers involved, a trucking company, and even the truck’s manufacturer.
Court papers allege that the 63-year-old singer initially survived the first accident, when the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van carrying her, her entourage, and her band flipped over.
Bystanders managed to rescue five of the nine passengers, but Angie was still inside when tragedy struck again.
According to the filing, a tractor-trailer hauling sugar plowed into the van, ejecting Angie and trapping her underneath.
The singer is survived by two sons and a daughter as the mother of his first son, R&B star Angie Stone (pictured January 2024 in Atlanta), died tragically in a car accident in March of this year
Stone is seen with her son with D’Angelo, Michael D’Angelo Archer II AKA Swayvo Train, in New York back in 2004
She died at the scene.
In recent years, her relationship with D’Angelo was at the center of debate from fans as many accused Stone of grooming the father of her child as she was 30 and he was a teenager when they met.
The two had dated in the 1990s over four years beginning when she was 30 and he was 19.
They collaborated on D’Angelo’s debut album released in 1995 which Stone had co-wrote and co-produced.