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Michael Archer Jr., the son of R&B stars D’Angelo and Angie Stone, has been dealing with grief for months \u2014 long before the death of his father on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old musician, whose stage name is Swayvo Twain, penned a heartbreaking Instagram post reflecting on the deaths of his parents and the final moments he shared with his Grammy-winning dad. His mother, Grammy-nominated singer Angie Stone, died in March<\/a> in a traffic accident in Alabama. She was 63. D’Angelo died Tuesday after a private battle<\/a> with cancer. He was 51.<\/p>\n “I just sat here watchin my daddy die after feeling like it was the first time he and I were truly building,” Archer wrote in an Instagram story shared Tuesday. “He was there when I needed him most after the passing of my momma.”<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> D’Angelo, Grammy-winning singer whose ‘Brown Sugar’ launched the neo-soul movement, dies at 51<\/a><\/p>\n Archer added: “Unfortunately, time ran out.”<\/p>\n D’Angelo’s family announced Tuesday that the neo-soul pioneer had “been called home” after a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer.” Additional details about his cancer fight were not revealed.<\/p>\n D’Angelo was a four-time Grammy winner known for his sensual albums “Brown Sugar” and “Voodoo.” Though he was immeasurably influential on generations of R&B, the singer had a fraught relationship with fame that led to stints of years out of the spotlight. Stone, on the other hand, was a singer who found success in the neo-soul movement in the 1990s after after nearly two decades in the music business. Her work included the solo album “Black Diamond” and the singles \u201cNo More Rain (In This Cloud)” and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.”<\/p>\n Before his parents’ deaths, the rapper-singer spoke about D’Angelo and Stone’s careers and their influence on his music for an episode of MTV’s “Family Legacy.”<\/a> As he recalled bonding with his father over music and shared a tender \u2014 at times awkward \u2014 confessional with his mother, he joked that the pair’s best work was himself.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> D’Angelo was soul music’s bard of devotion<\/a><\/p>\n Archer reflected on the “Family Legacy” episode weeks after his mother’s death, writing on Instagram<\/a> that he wanted to pave his own path and “separate myself from my parents cause it always felt like I was fated to be in their shadows forever.”<\/p>\n “Thankfully, long before, momma left I learned to embrace them and their legacy full on,” he wrote at the time. “I’m blessed and happy to have had this moment with my momma man.”<\/p>\n Joining Archer on social media in mouring D’Angelo’s death were Lauryn Hill,<\/a> Jaime Foxx<\/a>, Missy Elliott <\/a>and Jill Scott.<\/a> Beyonc\u00e9 honored the R&B star with a tribute on the homepage of her website<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry,” the memorial reads. “You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever. We will never forget you.”<\/p>\n Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. <\/a><\/p>\n This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n