R&B and soul singer D’Angelo died Tuesday, leaving behind a "legacy of extraordinarily moving music" after a "prolonged and courageous battle with cancer," his family said.
The influential music star, born Michael D’Angelo Archer, was 51.
“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life," his family said in a statement. "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."
"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, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, is credited with helping popularize neo-soul — a genre of modern R&B and soul flavored with hip-hop, funk, rock and other influences — alongside artists such as Lauryn Hill, Maxwell and Erykah Badu.
D'Angelo came of age in the 1990s with his debut album, “Brown Sugar.” “Lady,” from that album, topped out at No. 10 in March 1996 and spent 20 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
But D'Angelo reached an even wider audience with the 2000 release of his second album, "Voodoo," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and would go on to win the best R&B album award at the Grammys.
The album's lead single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," won the Grammy for best R&B male vocal performance. The video for the track, which featured a topless D'Angelo filmed in a single take as he lip-synced the song, was played in heavy rotation on MTV and BET.
His third and final studio album, "Black Messiah," was released in 2014 to critical acclaim and won another Grammy for best R&B album.
D’Angelo’s former girlfriend Angie Stone, a Grammy-nominated R&B singer, was killed in a car crash near Montgomery, Alabama, in March.
The pair had a child together, Michael D’Angelo Archer II, a 27-year-old musical artist who goes by Swayvo Twain.
Four-time Grammy winner Missy Elliott paid tribute to D’Angelo, saying that “it’s painful for children to see their parents go,” and she sent “prayers up for his son who also lost his mom this year.”
D'Angelo's label, RCA, mourned his death.
"He was a peerless visionary who effortlessly blended the classic sounds of soul, funk, gospel, R&B, and jazz with a hip hop sensibility," the company said in a statement Tuesday.
"D’Angelo’s songwriting, musicianship, and unmistakable vocal styling has endured and will continue to inspire generations of artists to come," RCA said. "Our hearts are with his family and friends during this difficult time."
Grammy winner Nile Rodgers recalled being in his New York City apartment, meeting D'Angelo for the first time and being blown away by his music.
"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," Rodgers said in a statement Tuesday.
"At the end of the encounter he asked me, 'What should I do with it?' I remember this as if it were yesterday. I said: 'Put it out. It’s perfect!'”
