Jamie Foxx, Jill Scott, Jennifer Hudson and more are reacting to the shocking death of R&B pioneer D’Angelo, who died after a private cancer battle at 51.
Grammy-winning R&B artist D’Angelo dies at 51
The Grammy-winning R&B artist D’Angelo has died at age 51 after battling cancer.
Following D’Angelo‘s shocking death at 51, fellow musicians and stars are reflecting on the soul singer’s unmatched impact and legacy.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer’s retro R&B sound epitomized the neo-soul movement of the mid-’90s. He died Tuesday, Oct. 14, following a battle with cancer, his family confirmed to Variety and Rolling Stone.
Actor Jamie Foxx wrote on social media that he knows “God doesn’t make mistakes,” but D’Angelo’s death “hurts like hell.”
“Rest up my friend,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday. ” … Your music and your impression will be felt for generations to come.” Foxx also recalled seeing D’Angelo’s “incredible” music video for “Untitled (How Does it Feel)” and the R&B singer’s “silky and flawless” voice, calling him “anointed” and “one of one.”
“I was graciously envious of your style and your swag… I was also in pure awe of your talents…. roaming around on each instrument, displaying your expertise in every note and every song …” he wrote.
“God put you here for a reason and we were all lucky enough to see what God had made… That’s why today real tears run down my face … to hear the news that God has taken one of his special creations home.”
John Legend ‘heartbroken’ over D’Angelo: ‘One of our generation’s greatest’
A “heartbroken” John Legend penned a lengthy, touching tribute to D’Angelo on Instagram, calling him “one of our generation’s greatest artists.”
“I remember 1995, when Brown Sugar came out and changed my life. I was just graduating high school and moved to Philadelphia to go to college. I bought my first stereo with a CD player … my first 2 CD purchases were Brown Sugar and Mary J Blige’s classic My Life. I played both of these albums incessantly,” Legend shared.
The “Ordinary People” musician added that D’Angelo’s debut was “rooted in classic soul but also felt so fresh and different.”
“It inspired me and my other musician friends so much. It helped me believe that there were different ways to be an R&B artist, ways to buck the norms of the mainstream,” he wrote. “I’d try to imitate his smoky tone and smooth falsetto, the way he’d stack his backing vocals, the way he’d incorporate vintage keyboards and organs for his signature sound. The way he harkened back to our shared roots in the Black church.”
Legend also revealed he never met D’Angelo personally, “though we have a few friends in common.” But, still, Legend wrote, “through his music he was an important part of my story. I just want to thank D’Angelo for being an inspiration in my life and in the lives of so many other artists.”
Jill Scott, Maxwell and Jennifer Hudson remember D’Angelo’s ‘gift’
Fellow neo-soul artist Jill Scott noted she never met D’Angelo but admired his music all the same. “I love him, respect him, admire his gift. This loss HURTS!! Love to my family that are family to him. I’m so sorry. R.I.P. GENIUS,” she wrote on X.
She added that a mutual friend shared the singer was unwell days ago, and shared her love and condolences with his family.
“Pretty Wings” singer Maxwell paid tribute with a pointed post on Instagram: “because u were , we are all because.”
R&B star Tank shared his condolences, calling the “Brown Sugar” singer “everything.”
“I’m crushed!.. @thedangelo we wished to be your level of genius and human being,” Tank wrote on Instagram. “You blessed me in ways you will never know. I pray for your family and send love to everyone around the world who is feeling this loss. You were everything! What you’ve given us will live FOREVER! RIP to the greatest.
“This really hurts !” singer and actress Jennifer Hudson wrote in her tribute on Instagram. “We lost a true original today. It just doesn’t seem real!! It can’t be. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest well, King !!!”
Music legends Nile Rodgers, Bootsy Collins remember ‘friend’ and ‘lil brother’ D’Angelo
Chic cofounder Nile Rodgers recalled meeting D’Angelo after a friend brought the artist to his New York City apartment, when he was just getting his footing in the industry.
“He was trying to figure out what to do with the music he’d brought with him. I listened to every cut…not just out of respect but because it was smoking … I remember this as if it were yesterday. I said, ‘Put it out. It’s perfect!’ Being the #artist he is, I guess he had to explore some ways to make it better,” he wrote on X. “About a year later I heard one of those songs on the radio. It was #genius and it was exactly what he had played for me. I know…I still have the original cassette.”
Parliament-Funkadelic’s Bootsy Collins shared his thoughts on X, writing, “Say it ain’t so, but we just lost a friend, a creator & legend,” and calling the “Lady” singer his “lil-brother.”
Tyler, The Creator calls D’Angelo a ‘savant, a true alien’
Rapper Tyler, The Creator shared a memory from his 9th birthday, back in 2000, of going to the mall and how he had his “eyes set on leaving with one thing”: D’Angelo’s “Voodoo,” which released that same year.
“i had no idea that would help shape my musical dna. the amount of raps ive wrote to BOOTY on the front porch that year, the amount of times ive tried to mimic vocal phrasing from SEND IT ON, the scratches the disc ended up with from repeating THE ROOT……too many. ONE MO’GIN still puts me in the same trance as it did when i first heard it,” he wrote on Instagram. “that dragging sway of tempo that sounds like a porch sitting rocking chair. that grumpy but loose bassline. the subject of it, that feeling hes describing felt like a mirror … i couldnt understand how someone could write something so simple but personal but broad but genius. thats how special he was. a savant. a true alien.”
The son of a Pentecostal preacher, D’Angelo − whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer − earned his big break in music when he coproduced the 1994 single “U Will Know” by supergroup Black Men United, a music collective that consisted of R&B powerhouses including Boyz II Men, Usher, Al B. Sure!, R. Kelly and Lenny Kravitz, among others. The song went on to peak at No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In their statement Tuesday, D’Angelo’s family called him “the shining star of our family.”
“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,” their statement continued. “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.”
Contributing: Edward Segarra
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usatoday.com ’
