What you need to know
D’Angelo is being remembered by the giants of music.
D’Angelo (real name Michael Eugene Archer) passed away on Tuesday, October 14th at the age of 51 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Following the news, musicians honored the “Lady” singer with heartfelt messages about him and his illustrious career.
Beyoncé posted a tribute on her website, writing: “May Michael Eugene Archer, known in the music world as the incomparable D’Angelo, rest in peace. Thank you for your beautiful music, voice, piano skills, and artistry.”
“You pioneered neo-soul, which changed and changed rhythm and blues forever,” Beyoncé continued. “We will never forget you.”
Her former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland posted to X: “This hurts, it’s deep! The passion this man has for his music! Hearing about his amazing process… I’m just speechless…”
“He’s really 1/1. This loss just broke my heart!” Roland added. “God bless D’Angelo’s family and loved ones. We lost a giant. 🕊️💔”
“God put you here for a reason, and we were all lucky to see what God made,” Jamie Foxx said in a lengthy eulogy posted on Instagram. “So today, real tears flowed down my face… hearing the news that God has brought home one of his special creations… I know God makes no mistakes… but this hurts like hell… Rest in peace my friend… You will be forever missed… but your music and your impression will be felt for generations to come…. Rest in strength and beautiful music…. You are one of them…”
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Missy Elliott paid tribute to the singer’s son Michael Archer II, whose mother Angie Stone was killed in a car accident seven months before D’Angelo.
“Rest In Peace 🙏🏾🕊️,” “Take Away” singer D’Angelo wrote on X, adding, “No parent wants to see their children leave, but it’s hard for children to see their parents go. So please pray for the well-being of a son who lost his mother this year 🙏🏾.”
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Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea wrote that D’Angelo was one of his “all-time favorite” musicians and that he had visited his records “many times.”
“No one has done anything this funky in the last 30 years. I didn’t know him at all, but his music humbled me. What a rare and beautiful voice, and an unparalleled approach to songwriting. What a musician!!!” Flea wrote on Instagram. “He changed the course of popular music.”
“Fly free with your angel D’Angelo,” he wrote. “We will forever listen to you and be touched by your story. I will be on my knees in prayer.”
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Doja Cat said she is “a true voice of soul and an inspiration to many great artists of our generation and generations to come.”
Jennifer Hudson wrote on X: “It hurts so much! We lost a true original today. It doesn’t seem real!! It can’t be. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest in peace, King!”
Lauryn Hill began her tribute on Instagram by saying she regretted not having “more time” with D’Angelo.
“Your undeniable beauty and talent were otherworldly. In a world that craves light and divine anointing, ethereal beings need protection,” she wrote in part. “Sir, you have inspired and inspired us, inspired and even intimidated others with your acts of genius.”
Hill called D’Angelo “a beacon of light for generations that have no memory of the accomplishments that came before us, and for generations beyond,” before ending the post with, “I love you and will miss you. May God grant you peace and shelter to your family, true friends, and true grateful ones, brother, king.”
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Jill Scott told X that she found out about the musician’s illness a few days ago and sent him “love” yesterday. “We didn’t know he would be leaving us today. My condolences to his family, music community, and fans. I am a fan and I am heartbroken. D. Keaton and now D’Angelo. I am heartbroken.”
“I’ve never met D’Angelo, but I love him, respect him, and admire his talent,” Scott wrote in another X post. “This loss hurts!! Love to my family, who were family to him. I’m so sorry. Rest in peace, genius. 💔 💔”
Monica expressed her condolences to the family on her Instagram Story. “May God comfort the hearts of your family and friends…a true gift of music.”
Nile Rodgers recalled meeting D’Angelo when his friend Gary Harris took him to his New York apartment, and said he remembered the encounter “like it was yesterday.”
“He was wondering what to do with the music he brought. I listened to all the cuts…not just out of respect, but because there was smoke. At the end of our encounter, he asked me, ‘What should I do with it?’ ” ”
“I said, ‘Take it out. It’s perfect!'” He’s an #artist so I guess he had to explore some ways to make it better,” Rodgers wrote in an Instagram caption, adding that he heard one of the songs on the radio a year later. “That was #genius and exactly what he played me. I know…I still have the original cassette.”
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Michael Bearden, who was the music director for D’Angelo’s debut album, was “disappointed” by the news.
In his Instagram post, Bearden emphasized that he immediately “felt” that D’Angelo was “an absolute disruptor of the industry” and that “things would change” if he left.
“D’s talent was so pure and natural that he moved energy in a way that only a genius can. As I had the privilege of working with several of them, I quickly recognized the same in D,” Bearden wrote.
“D’Angelo was one of them,” he added. “He created an entire genre of music just by being himself.”
