DER US-AMERIKANISCHE R&B- UND NEO-SOUL-SÄNGER UND -MUSIKER MICHAEL «D’ANGELO» ARCHER IST GESTORBEN

Der am 11. Februar 1974 in Richmond (Virginia) als Michael Eugene Archer geborene US-amerikanische Musiker, Sänger und Produzent D’Angelo (Bild) ist am 14. Oktober 2025 in New York City gestorben. Er war Rhythm-and-Blues-Musiker der Neo-Soul-Strömung, die ab Mitte der 1990er-Jahre in den USA entwickelt wurde. 1995 erschien sein Debüt «Brown Sugar». Der Titeltrack des Albums erhielt drei Grammy-Nominierungen und einen American Music Award. Sein zweites Solo-Album «Voodoo» erschien fünf Jahre später. Die erste Auskopplung «Left & Right» erreichte gute Platzierungen, aber die nachfolgende Auskopplung «Untitled (How Does It Feel)» wurde ein grosser Erfolg, massgeblich durch das Video. (*) «Billboard» bezeichnete d’Angelo als einen der grössten R&B-Künstler und «Rolling Stone» setzte ihn auf Platz 75 der 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Der Song «Untitled (How Does It Feel)» brachte ihm den Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, während das Album «Voodoo» (2000) zum Best R&B Album erkoren wurde.

D’Angelo, 2012 - Foto: Roquai, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Roquai - Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en - Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%27Angelo_Pori_Jazz_2012.JPG

Bild: D’Angelo, 2012 – Foto: Roquai, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Roquai – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%27Angelo_Pori_Jazz_2012.JPG

Neo-Soul Pioneer D’Angelo Dead At 51 Following Private Illness

R&B and soul legend D’Angelo has reportedly died following a private battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 51. Sources tell AllHipHop he died in New York. The chatter surrounding his death started online Tuesday morning (October 14).

D’Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer, was widely recognized for pioneering the neo soul movement with his distinct blend of classic R&B and hip-hop influences. His debut album, Brown Sugar (1995), was critically acclaimed and helped push neo soul into the mainstream, featuring chart-topping singles such as “Lady” and “Brown Sugar.”

https://allhiphop.com/news/dangelo-reportedly-dead-at-51-following-secret-illness

D’Angelo, Soul’s Modern Visionary, Dead at 51

The singer-songwriter’s three albums — Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah — were all revered as contemporary classics.

D’Angelo was one of the most widely revered artists of the past 30 years. A childhood musical prodigy, he quickly asserted himself as a star with his 1995 debut, Brown Sugar, released when he was 21. A key part of the Soulquarians, a loose collective of musicians, singers, and producers that included Questlove, Erykah Badu, J Dilla, Q-Tip, among others — he was at the forefront of a movement that charted new paths in soul, R&B, and hip-hop while maintaining a deep admiration for the past.

John Blistein

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dangelo-dead-obit-obituary-1235446878

D’Angelo, Acclaimed R&B Singer, Dies at 51 After Cancer Battle

D’Angelo, the acclaimed neo-soul singer who found fame in the 1990s and early 2000s with an innovative and sensuous take on 1970s R&B, as well as with a risqué music video that briefly made him a pop culture phenomenon but helped drive him into nearly a decade of seclusion, died on Tuesday.

Ben Sisario

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/arts/music/dangelo-dead.html

D’Angelo, R&B’s reluctant icon, has died at 51

The songwriter and producer, born Michael Eugene Archer on February 11, 1974 in Richmond, Va., spent much of his career wrestling with the scrutiny of his outsized genius. The son of a Pentecostal preacher and a devotee of Prince, a young D’Angelo started a group with two of his cousins called Three of a Kind. At 16, he scored mic time on the coveted rising star showcase Amateur Night at the Apollo; on his second attempt, he won. He took the $500 prize money and bought a four-track, and recorded the majority of the songs that would make up his debut. Two years later, he signed a record deal.

Sheldon Pearce

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/14/nx-s1-5574071/dangelo-dead-at-51-obituary

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning neo-soul pioneer, dies aged 51

D’Angelo burst on to the scene in 1995 with his debut album Brown Sugar, which married classic R&B melodies with the sounds of hip-hop and notched his first Top 10 single with Lady. His follow-up album, the 2000 classic Voodoo, solidified his status at one of the fathers of the stripped-down, hearty sounds of neo-soul. He was as influential as he was elusive, not releasing a follow-up to Voodoo until late 2014, with his third and final album Black Messiah.

Adrian Horton

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/14/dangelo-dead

Videos:

D’Angelo – Brown Sugar