American singer Michael Eugene Archer, known by his stage name D'Angelo, has died at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer. The artist's family called for his contribution to music to be celebrated, emphasizing his influence on neo-soul music, writes UNN with reference to the BBC.
Singer Michael Eugene Archer, known to his fans as D'Angelo, has died at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer. The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life
His family said on Tuesday that the singer leaves behind "a legacy of profoundly moving music" and asked fans to celebrate "the gift of song he left the world."
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The son of a Pentecostal preacher, D'Angelo was born in Richmond, Virginia, and taught himself to play the piano at the age of three. Throughout his youth, he performed in local bands such as Three of a Kind, Michael Archer and Precise, and Intelligent, Deadly but Unique (IDU). When he was 18, he won the amateur talent competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for three consecutive weeks and quickly signed a publishing deal with EMI.
D'Angelo began his career as a songwriter and worked alongside renowned musical names such as Lauryn Hill and The Roots. He rose to prominence in the 1990s with his debut album Brown Sugar. His song Lady from that album reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1996.
The singer was known as a neo-soul innovator, a genre that combines R&B with other types of music, including hip-hop and jazz. Three of his albums earned him four Grammy Awards. The music video for his song "Untitled (How Does it Feel)" gained widespread popularity when D'Angelo appeared naked in it, performing the composition live.
However, over time, D'Angelo faced problems with alcoholism and almost died in a car accident in 2005. Returning to music, in 2014 he released the album Black Messiah, which he had been working on for years and completed amidst national protests after the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. In February 2016, the album was awarded a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
Among those who paid tribute was hip-hop legend DJ Premier, who produced D'Angelo's song Devil's Pie.
"Such a sad loss," he wrote on social media. "We had so many great moments. I will miss you very much. Rest in peace, love you, KING."