“Untitled (How Does It End)?” — The Tragic Loss of D’Angelo

The music world is in mourning today with the news that Michael “D’Angelo” Archer passed away on October 14, 2025, after a private and brave battle with pancreatic cancer. At just 51, his untimely departure leaves behind a void not only in neo-soul, but in the hearts of countless fans, peers, and anyone who believed in the power of music to heal and elevate. 

From his early days in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo demonstrated an uncanny musical instinct. He began playing piano by age three, joined his father in the church choir, and by his teens was performing locally with groups like Three of a Kind and Michael Archer & Precise.  At 19, he signed with EMI, and in 1995 he released Brown Sugar, a landmark album that fused classic R&B with hip-hop texturing. The title track and single “Lady” became instant favorites, and the album went platinum within a year. 

His 2000 album Voodoo further cemented his place in music history. It debuted atop the charts, won a Grammy for Best R&B Album, and its haunting single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” earned him Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The music video — raw, sensual, and deeply personal — became an iconic moment in pop culture, though he later expressed discomfort with being viewed primarily as a sex symbol. 

D’Angelo took long, introspective pauses from public life, wrestling with personal and creative challenges, but when he returned, he did so with purpose. In 2014, he released Black Messiah, his third studio album and a work steeped in political consciousness, funk, and soul. Critics hailed it as a masterpiece. It debuted strongly, topped R&B charts, and earned him two more Grammys.  During the 2021 pandemic, he appeared in a solo Verzuz event — performing at the Apollo Theater and vulnerably sharing his artistry with the world even in moments of personal retreat. 

Throughout his career, D’Angelo earned four Grammy Awards and received roughly fourteen nominations. He collaborated with legends across genres—Questlove, Lauryn Hill, Raphael Saadiq, Common, The Roots—and never lost his devotion to authenticity.  His influence is evident in the work of modern R&B and neo-soul artists who followed.

Though we are left with “untitled” pain tonight, we are also left with his songs, his voice, his daring. D’Angelo showed us the possibility of merging soul with struggle, expansion with vulnerability. He gave us an art that stood firm against trends, that demanded to be heard and felt.

May his family, children, and loved ones find solace in the echoes he left behind. And may the world never stop playing his music, studying his layers, and honoring the profound gift he gave.

Rest in resonance, Michael “D’Angelo” Archer