{"id":2090996,"date":"2025-10-14T18:59:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T18:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2090996"},"modified":"2025-10-14T18:59:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T18:59:25","slug":"dangelo-grammy-award-winning-rb-singer-dead-at-51","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dangelo-grammy-award-winning-rb-singer-dead-at-51\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u2019Angelo, Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, dead at 51"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n D\u2019Angelo, whose cool tunes and one hot music video made him a legend of neo-soul music, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 51.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,\u201d his family said in a statement provided to celebrity.land by RCA, his longtime record company.\n <\/p>\n

\n He died on Tuesday \u201cafter a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,\u201d his family said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d the statement added. \u201cWe 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.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n RCA also released a statement saying they were \u201cdeeply saddened\u201d by his passing.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHe was a peerless visionary who effortlessly blended the classic sounds of soul, funk, gospel, R&B, and jazz with a hip hop sensibility,\u201d the statement read. \u201cD\u2019Angelo\u2019s songwriting, musicianship and unmistakable vocal styling has endured and will continue to inspire generations of artists to come.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D\u2019Angelo was the son of a Pentecostal preacher, according to a profile published in VIBE<\/a>. Growing up in church, his musical talent was discovered early.\n <\/p>\n

\n At the age of 16, he won the \u201cShowtime at the Apollo\u201d amateur night competition after he performed Johnny Gill\u2019s hit single \u201cRub You the Right Way,\u201d he recalled<\/a> in 2014.\n <\/p>\n

\n By the time he was 18, he headed to New York City in hopes of pursuing a professional singing career.\n <\/p>\n

\n Given that his family was so deeply involved in the church, it was not a decision he took lightly.\n <\/p>\n

\n In an interview with GQ published in 2014, he discussed feeling pulled between the sacred and the profane. Music was incredibly powerful to him.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI learned at an early age that what we were doing in the choir was just as important as the preacher. It was a ministry in itself. We could stir the pot, you know?,\u201d D\u2019Angelo said. \u201cThe stage is our pulpit, and you can use all of that energy and that music and the lights and the colors and the sound. But you know, you\u2019ve got to be careful.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Singing wasn\u2019t how he initially found his success.\n <\/p>\n

\n In 1994, a single he co-wrote titled \u201cU Will Know\u201d was featured on the soundtrack of the film \u201cJason\u2019s Lyric\u201d and cracked the top 10 of the R&B charts.\n <\/p>\n

\n The following year, his debut album, \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d debuted and established him as one of the rising stars of neo-soul \u2013 a sub genre of R&B that blends soul, jazz, hip-hop and rhythm and blues.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d would go on to be his first platinum selling album.\n <\/p>\n

\n Five years later, he released \u201cVoodoo,\u201d an album that was almost overshadowed by the video for his single \u201cUntitled (How Does It Feel?).\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n In it, a seemingly nude and ripped D\u2019Angelo sings sensually while looking directly into the camera lens \u2013 a performance that set fans aflame.\n <\/p>\n

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