Jamie Foxx, Jill Scott, Jennifer Hudson and more are reacting to the shocking death of R&B pioneer D’Angelo, who passed away at the age of 51 after a private battle with cancer.
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist D’Angelo dies at age 51
Grammy Award-winning R&B artist D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
Following D’Angelo’s shocking passing at the age of 51, fellow musicians and stars are remembering the soul singer’s unparalleled influence and accomplishments.
The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and producer’s retro R&B sound epitomizes the neo-soul movement of the mid-’90s. He passed away on Tuesday, October 14, after a battle with cancer, his family confirmed to Variety and Rolling Stone.
Actor Jamie Foxx wrote on social media that he knows “God makes no mistakes,” but D’Angelo’s death “hurts like hell.”
“Rest my friend,” he wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday. “…Your music and your impressions will be felt for generations to come.” Foxx also recalled seeing D’Angelo’s “incredible” music video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and the R&B singer’s “smooth, perfect” voice, calling him “anointed” and “one of a kind.”
“I was truly envious of your style and fashion…I was also in pure awe of your talent…the mastery of each instrument, the expertise on every note and every song…” he wrote.
“God put you here for a reason and we are all lucky to see what God has created…That’s why there were real tears streaming down my face today… hearing the news that God has brought home one of his special creations.”
John Legend calls D’Angelo ‘heartbroken’ and ‘one of the greatest players of our generation’
A “heartbroken” John Legend penned a lengthy and moving eulogy on Instagram, calling D’Angelo “one of the greatest artists of our generation.”
“I remember in 1995 when Brown Sugar came out and changed my life. I had just graduated high school and moved to Philadelphia to attend college. I bought my first stereo with a CD player…The first two CDs I bought were Brown Sugar and the Mary J. Blige classic ‘My Life.’ I played both of those albums constantly,” Legend said.
The Ordinary People musician added that D’Angelo’s debut was “rooted in classic soul, but felt very fresh and different.”
“It was very inspirational to me and my other musician friends. It helped me believe that there are different ways to be an R&B artist and that there are ways to defy mainstream norms,” he wrote. “I tried to emulate his smoky tone and smooth falsetto, the way he layered backing vocals, and the way he incorporated vintage keyboards and organs to create a signature sound in a way that recalled our common roots in the black church.”
Legend also revealed that he has never met D’Angelo in person, although “we have some mutual friends.” But still, Legend wrote, “Through his music, he was an important part of my story. I want to thank D’Angelo for being an inspiration in my life and the lives of so many other artists.”
Jill Scott, Maxwell and Jennifer Hudson remember D’Angelo’s ‘gift’
Fellow neo-soul artist Jill Scott said she has never met D’Angelo but still admires his music. “I love him. I respect him and admire his talent. This loss hurts!! Love for my family, who were family to him. I’m so sorry. Rest in peace, genius,” wrote X.
She added that a mutual friend shared that the singer was unwell a few days ago and sent his love and condolences to his family.
“Pretty Wings” singer Maxwell paid tribute to her with a poignant post on Instagram: “Because you were like that, because we all were like that.”
R&B star Tank expressed his condolences to the “Brown Sugar” singer, calling him “everything.”
Tank posted on Instagram: “Devastated!…@thedangelo, we wish we were human at your level of genius.” “You have blessed me in ways you will never know. I pray for your family and send love to everyone around the world who is feeling this loss. You were everything! What you gave us will live forever! Rest in peace to the great ones.
“This really hurts!” singer and actress Jennifer Hudson paid tribute on Instagram. “Today we lost a true original. It doesn’t feel real!! That can’t be true. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest in peace, King!!!”
Music legends Nile Rodgers and Bootsy Collins remember their ‘friend’ and ‘Lil Brother’ D’Angelo
Chic co-founder Nile Rodgers recalled meeting D’Angelo when he was just starting out in the industry, after a friend took him to his New York City apartment.
“He was trying to figure out what to do with the music he brought. I listened to all the cuts…not just out of respect, but because there was smoke…I remember it like it was yesterday. I said, ‘Please put it out. It’s perfect!’ I think he had to find some way to make it better because he’s an #artist,” he wrote in X. “About a year later I heard one of those songs on the radio. It was #genius and exactly what he played for me. I know…I still have the original cassette.”
Parliament-Funkadelic’s Bootsy Collins shared his thoughts on X, writing, “I say no, but we just lost a friend, a creator, and a legend,” and called the “Lady” singer a “little brother.”
Tyler, the Creator calls D’Angelo a ‘scholar, a true alien’
Rapper Tyler, the Creator recalled going to the mall for his ninth birthday in 2000 and D’Angelo’s “Voodoo,” which was released the same year. “I wanted to go home with one thing.”
“I never thought it would help shape my musical DNA. The amount of rap I wrote on Booty on the Front Porch that year, the number of times I tried to imitate the vocal phrase of SEND IT ON, the scratches I got on the disc from repeating THE ROOT… it’s too much. ONE MO’GIN still puts me in the same trance it did when I first heard it,” he wrote on Instagram. “A dragging tempo swing that sounded like a rocking chair sitting on a porch. A moody but slow bass line. The subject matter, the emotion he described, felt like a mirror…I couldn’t understand how someone could write something so simple and personal and yet so broad and yet so genius. That’s how special he was. A scholar. A true alien.”
The son of a Pentecostal preacher, D’Angelo (real name Michael Eugene Archer) got his big break in the music world when he co-produced the 1994 single “You Will Know” by the supergroup Black Men United, a musical collective comprised of R&B heavyweights including Boyz II Men, Usher, Al B. Sure!, R. Kelly, and Lenny Kravitz. The song peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In a statement Tuesday, D’Angelo’s family called him “a shining star in our family.”
“After a long and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to fans around the world as D’Angelo, is back home,” the statement continued. “While we are saddened that he will only be left with cherished memories of his family, we are forever grateful for the extraordinary and inspiring musical legacy he left behind.”
Contributor: Edward Segarra
