D’Angelo is survived by his children and close family, who have asked for privacy at this time.Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Baller Alert was the first to report that the R&B and soul legend passed away on Tuesday (today) at age 51, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo changed the sound of modern soul music with his timeless mix of gospel, funk, jazz and hip-hop influences. His debut album Brown Sugar helped usher in the neo-soul movement of the 1990s. D'Angelo sat alongside artists like Erykah Badu, Maxwell and Lauryn Hill, and helped to redefine R&B.
Some of his biggest hits include songs like “Lady,” “Cruisin’” and the title track “Brown Sugar,” solidifying D’Angelo’s place in music history. His follow-up, Voodoo, in 2000, earned him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” while the album itself earned the Grammy for Best R&B Album.
After stepping away from the spotlight for over a decade, D’Angelo made a triumphant return with Black Messiah in 2014.
Over the years, his music inspired the likes of artists from Frank Ocean and H.E.R. to Anderson Paak and Daniel Caesar.
D’Angelo is survived by his children and close family, who have asked for privacy at this time.