He was 51 years old: with his three albums he revolutionized the sound of soul and rhythm and blues
He was 51 years old Michael Euhene Archer, brilliant artist, known as D’Angelo, one of the most intense and authoritative voices of soul/rhythm and blues. The news of his death due to pancreatic cancer was communicated by his family: “The brightest star of our family has extinguished his light in this life”, reads the statement, which invites fans to remember him through his music.
D’Angelo, born in Richmond, Virginia, grew up in a religious family: his father and grandfather were Pentecostal preachers and gospel music was the soundtrack of his adolescence. When he turned 15 he started singing and playing in various bands. The leap into the professional world occurs when he wins the famous contest for three consecutive evenings Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
His first major recognition came in 1994 with the song U Will Knowmade for the R&B supergroup Black Men United. From there it soon becomes the leading exponent of the neo soul movement with the album Brown Sugar which sells a million copies in the United States. In 2000 he published Voodoohis second work which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and received rave reviews around the world. Thanks to this album he won two Grammys.
After a long silence, due to health problems, addictions and personal problems, he came out in 2014 Black Messiah the third and final studio album, an absolute masterpiece, which draws from old school funk classics, played divinely by musicians of the highest level: drummer Questlove, bassist Pino Palladino, guitarist Isaiah Sharkey and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Many critics have compared it to the legendary record of Sly & the Family StoneThere’s a Riot Goin’ On.
Then more silence until 2024 when the news spreads of the recording of a lack of new songs never released until now. Extremely careful to preserve privacy, D’Angelo had three children: one with soul singer Angie Stone, (who died this year in a car accident) and two from subsequent relationships.
