Oh You’re my lady You’re my lady PRESENTER: In the tapestry of soul music, few names are stitched as deeply as D’Angelo. Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, his voice carried both the ache of the past, and the promise of the future. From church pews to global stages, D’Angelo’s journey wasn’t just about music.

It was about truth, pain, love, and the divine rhythm of the human spirit. This is the story of a man who brought the soul back to soul music. Raised in a Pentecostal household, D’Angelo grew up surrounded by gospel harmonies, and the sacred sound of the church. He began playing piano by ear before most children could read.

His father was a preacher, his mother a lover of music. And in that space, between the spiritual and the soulful, a young artist was born. He found inspiration in legends Marvin Gaye, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green. Yet what he created would be uniquely his own. In 1995, D’Angelo released Brown Sugar, an album that would change the sound of R&B.

[D’ANGELO, “BROWN SUGAR”] Let me tell you about this girl Maybe I shouldn’t I met her in Philly And her name was Brown Sugar See, we b makin’ love constantly That’s why my eyes are a shade blood burgundy It was smooth, smokey, and unapologetically real. A blend of hip hop rhythm and vintage soul warmth. Songs like “Lady” and “Crusin” dripped with sensuality, but beneath the groove lay vulnerability.

He wasn’t just reviving the classics, he was reinventing them for a new generation. With Brown Sugar, D’Angelo became the heartbeat of the neo soul movement. [D’ANGELO, “ME AND THOSE DREAMIN’ EYES OF MINE”] Ooh-wee, baby You’ve redefined my vision of love it seems You be the cherry You’re gonna be the cherry in my chocolate-covered dreams So it seems my, oh, my Me and those dreamin’ eyes of mine Five years later, Voodoo arrived.

An album recorded in the now legendary Electric Lady Studios. It was raw. It was daring. It was spiritual. D’Angelo, alongside Questlove, Pino Palladino, and the Soulquarians, pushed boundaries with off kilter grooves and unfiltered emotion. Then came “Untitled, How Does it Feel.” The song, the video, the moment that made him a reluctant sex symbol.

[D’ANGELO, “UNTITLED (HOW DOES IT FEEL)”] How does it feel ‘Cause I gotta know right now How does it feel? But fame came at a cost. The pressure of image, expectation and industry nearly drowned the man behind the music. And then he disappeared. For more than a decade, D’Angelo stepped away from the spotlight.

The world wondered where he had gone and why. But sometimes silence is sacred. Sometimes an artist must retreat to reflect, to renew, to remember who they are before returning to the light. In 2014, out of the shadows came Black Messiah. It was protest and praise in equal measure, a cry for justice, a love letter to Black resilience.

It reminded the world that D’Angelo was never gone. He was simply becoming. With that album, he reclaimed his place, not as a star, but as a messenger. D’Angelo gave us more than melodies. He gave us moments of truth. He reminded us that soul isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence. It’s the heartbeat between the notes, the silence that still speaks.

And though he has left the stage, his sound, his spirit will echo forever. BET remembers D’Angelo. [CHEERING] [D’ANGELO, “UNTITLED (HOW DOES IT FEEL)”] (SINGING) Girl, it’s all on you Have it your way And if you want You can decide And if you’ll have me I can provide everything that you desire, baby Hmm Said if you get a feeling Feeling that I’m feeling Won’t you come closer, baby, to me, baby? No Girl you already got me right where you want me, baby Yeah I, I just want to be your man.

Yeah How does it feel? How does it feel? So I want to know how it feels, yeah How does it feel? Oh, oh, babe How does it feel? I want to know

Inside D’Angelo’s Final Days: ‘He Was Really Conflicted’ Says Source (Exclusive)

The Grammy-winning soul singer died of pancreatic cancer at 51 and spent recent years struggling with his self image, says a source

Janine Rubenstein is Editor-at-Large at PEOPLE and host of PEOPLE Every Day podcast, a daily dose of breaking news, pop culture and heartwarming human interest stories. Formerly Senior Editor of music content, she’s also covered crime, human interest and television news throughout her many years with the brand. Prior to PEOPLE she’s written for Essence, The Cape Times newspaper and Los Angeles Magazine among others. On-screen Rubenstein can be found featured on shows like Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight and she routinely hosts PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly’s star-studded Red Carpet Live specials. Follow the San Francisco native, Black Barbie collector and proud mom of two on Instagram and Twitter @janinerube

Soul and R&B star D’Angelo has died, a source confirms to PEOPLE
The source says he was with family, who remained by his side throughout his journey with pancreatic cancer
Though he was long considered a sex symbol, the star was “conflicted” about his public image, according to the source

Soul singing icon D’Angelo, who has died of pancreatic cancer at age 51, spent his last moments being cared for by family.

A source tells PEOPLE the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” singer (born Michael Eugene Archer), “was in hospice for two weeks but had been in the hospital for months.” By his side through it all was son Mike, Jr., 27, whom he shared with late R&B star Angie Stone.

“His son was there with him and had been with him in the hospital,” says the source. “People are really worried about Mike right now; his mom died a day after his birthday and now six months later he’s burying his dad.”

D’Angelo in Austin in March 2015.Rick Kern/Getty

Stone died unexpectedly following a tragic car accident on March 1 of this year. Says the source of Mike, Jr., “He’s been through a lot in such a short amount of time.”

As for D’Angelo, the singer, who saw widespread success in the late ’90s and early ’00s thanks to hit albums and his smoldering good looks, had largely been out of the spotlight for years.

Explains the source, “D’Angelo was very eccentric, he had a manager but he wouldn’t work. He was a recluse; he didn’t like going out of the house.”

According to the source, the beloved star — who achieved heartthrob status at the peak of his career thanks in large part to his one-man NSFW “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video — struggled with his self image.

D’Angelo in New Orleans in July 2012.Skip Bolen/WireImage)

“He battled with his weight. The chiseled machismo man that people fell in love with, that wasn’t his natural aesthetic. He was naturally a bigger guy,” explains the source.

The source continues, “He never was comfortable being a sex symbol, but also he didn’t like people seeing him on his heavier side, so he was always really conflicted.”

News of his death is heartbreaking for his family, including two other children, and his enduring fans.

“Such an amazing talent is gone,” says the source.

D’Angelo in Los Angeles in January 1997.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

DJ Premier, who collaborated with D’Angelo on the 1998 track “Devil’s Pie,” shared a post via X on Oct. 14 expressing his condolences.

“Such a sad loss to the passing of D’angelo. We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep Peacefully D’ Love You KING,” he wrote.

D’Angelo in Pasadena in April 1996.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty

The Richmond-born son of a minister broke out in 1995 with his debut album Brown Sugar, which peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and went platinum within a year of its release. It also earned D’Angelo four Grammy Award nominations.

In 2000, D’Angelo released his sophomore album Voodoo, which peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. He won two Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Album and another for “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” which received Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. He also received a nomination for Best R&B Song.