US star D’Angelo, who pioneered and then redefined neo-soul music, has died at the age of 51, his family have confirmed. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
In a statement released to Variety, his family said: “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 is widely acknowledged to have created three of the greatest albums of the past 30 years: Brown Sugar (1995), Voodoo (2000) and Black Messiah (2014). He also featured on Lauryn Hill’s Nothing Even Matters, taken from her own groundbreaking album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998).
His most recent solo release was Unshaken. D'Angelo wrote this for the soundtrack for Red Dead Redemption 2, having previously been a playtester for the game. He also guested on Jay-Z track I Want You Forever, taken from 2024 movie The Book of Clarence.
Speaking in the same year, D’Angelo’s friend and collaborator Raphael Saadiq suggested that the star was working on new music, telling the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast: “D’s in a good space right now. I talk to him a couple times. He’s excited. We don’t talk much, but when we do talk it’s crazy, like, ‘Oh, you gotta hear this!’ He’s like, ‘You gotta play bass. I’ve got this track. I’m telling you, you got to get on it. It got your name all over it.’”
