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D\u2019Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless \u201cUntitled (How Does It Feel)\u201d music video,<\/a> has died. He was 51.<\/p>\n The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died Tuesday, according to a statement from the family.<\/p>\n The singer\u2019s family confirmed in a statement Tuesday that he died after a prolonged battle with cancer. They called him \u201ca shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life,\u201d adding that they are \u201ceternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.\u201d<\/p>\n In his music, D\u2019Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neo-soul movement<\/a> of the 1990s. Earlier this year, the Virginia native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album \u201cBrown Sugar,\u201d<\/a> a platinum-selling offering that produced signature hits like \u201cLady\u201d<\/a> and the title track. The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations and cemented him as one of R&B\u2019s most original new voices.<\/p>\n D\u2019Angelo\u2019s sultry vocal style \u2014 a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity \u2014 set him apart from his peers. That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single \u201cUntitled (How Does It Feel).\u201d The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album \u201cVoodoo.\u201d<\/a> topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.<\/p>\n Beyond his own catalog, D\u2019Angelo\u2019s artistry shined in collaborations. He memorably duetted with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad \u201cNothing Even Matters,\u201d a highlight of her landmark 1998 album \u201cThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.\u201d<\/a> He also contributed to The Roots\u2019 1996 album \u201cIlladelph Halflife\u201d and was part of the supergroup Black Men United, which yielded one song: \u201cU Will Know,\u201d which D\u2019Angelo wrote and co-produced, for the film \u201cJason\u2019s Lyric\u201d in 1994.<\/p>\n D\u2019Angelo was partnered to Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone in the \u201990s. The pair met while he was finishing \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d and bonded over their similar backgrounds: Both are from the South and both grew up in the church. Stone worked on the album with D\u2019Angelo and the pair co-wrote the song \u201cEveryday\u201d for her 1999 debut album, \u201cBlack Diamond.\u201d<\/p>\n Stone described D\u2019Angelo as her \u201cmusical soul mate,\u201d to The Associated Press in 1999, adding that their working relationship was \u201c\u2019like milk and cereal \u2026. Musically, it was magic. It\u2019s something that I have not been able to do with any other producer or musician.\u201d<\/p>\n They had a son together, the artist Swayvo Twain, born Michael Archer Jr.<\/p>\n