R&B singer D'Angelo dies after private battle with cancer
D’Angelo, the R&B crooner who helped lead the neosoul movement, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 51.
His family confirm his death in a statement, saying the “(Untitled) How Does It Feel” singer passed away on Tuesday.
“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.”
D’Angelo came on the scene in 1995 with Grammy-nominated debut ”Brown Sugar.’’ The album’s funky R&B grooves recalled the ‘70s sound with its focus on instrumentation instead of sampling tracks or relying on machines for beats. Critics labeled D’Angelo the leader of a new neosoul movement, along with the likes of Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell.
The Richmond, Virginia, native began playing the piano at the tender age of 3, and by the time he was 4, he was playing piano at a church where his father was pastor.
“I did that a lot when I was growing up: playing in church, directing choirs, and things like that,” he told The Associated Press in a 1996 interview. “I had my own band, with my cousins, and my friends, and we toured all over the city.”
Before he reached 18, he went to New York City, where he and his band performed — and won — three times at the famed Apollo Theater’s amateur showcase. He earned buzz in the industry as an up-and-coming songwriter and producer after co-writing the 1994 hit “U Will Know,” recorded by a choir more than 40 of the hottest male R&B artists of the 90s for the film “Jason’s Lyric.”
D’Angelo’s music blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion. His sultry vocal style — a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity — set him apart from his peers. That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album “Voodoo.” topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.
Beyond his own catalog, D’Angelo’s artistry shined in collaborations. He memorably duetted with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad “Nothing Even Matters,” a highlight of her landmark 1998 album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” He also contributed to The Roots’ 1996 album “Illadelph Halflife” and was part of the supergroup Black Men United, which yielded one song: “U Will Know,” which D’Angelo wrote and co-produced, for the film “Jason’s Lyric” in 1994.
D’Angelo was partnered to Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone in the ’90s. The pair met while he was finishing “Brown Sugar” and bonded over their similar backgrounds: Both are from the South and both grew up in the church. Stone worked on the album with D’Angelo and the pair co-wrote the song “Everyday” for her 1999 debut album, “Black Diamond.”
Stone described D’Angelo as her “musical soul mate,” to The Associated Press in 1999, adding that their working relationship was “’like milk and cereal …. Musically, it was magic. It’s something that I have not been able to do with any other producer or musician.”
They had a son together, the artist Swayvo Twain, born Michael Archer Jr.
Stone died earlier this year in a car crash. She was 63.
D’Angelo also has a daughter, Imani Archer.
