Beyoncé shares an emotional tribute following the passing of D’Angelo.
D’Angelo passed away at the age of 51. According to reports, the Neo-soul pioneer passed following a a private battle with pancreatic cancer.
“Rest in peace, Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world of music as the inimitable D’Angelo. We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry,” Beyonce writes via her website. “You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever. We will never forget you.”
Lauryn Hill also honored her musical collaborator. “Thank you for being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us,” she wrote via X. “Thank you for charting the course and for making space during a time when no similar space really existed. You imaged a unity of strength and sensitivity in Black manhood to a generation that only saw itself as having to be one or the other.”
Michael Archer II, the son of late R&B legends D’Angelo and Angie Stone, spoke out publicly since losing both parents in the same year. The 24-year-old issued a heartfelt statement, “I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers during these very difficult times,” Archer wrote. “I ask that you please continue to keep me in your thoughts, as it will not be easy. But one thing that both my parents taught me was to be strong, and I intend to do just that.”
May the both continue to rest peacefully.
