Sources told TMZ the Grammy Award-winning star had been quietly battling pancreatic cancer.
During his career, D’Angelo was credited for helping bring in the era of neo-soul and released three albums, 1995’s Brown Sugar, 2000’s Voodoo and his final record, 2014’s Black Messiah with The Vanguard.
He signed to EMI in 1993 and wrote the hit song U Will Know for Black Men United (BMU) before releasing his own debut record in July 1995 and paving the way for the likes of Maxwell and Erykah Badu.
D’Angelo – who also appeared on Lauryn Hill’s acclaimed 1998 record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – spent much of his career working with Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson of The Roots, including on his pivotal second album.
Despite the huge success of the record, D’Angelo retreated from the spotlight for almost a decade, largely because he was uncomfortable at being portrayed as a sex symbol thanks to the shirtless video he filmed for the ballad Untitled (How Does It Feel).
He made a return in the early 2010s, touring Europe and performing occasionally with Questlove. He debuted new material during the live shows, which were featured on his final album in 2014.
D’Angelo won the Best R&B Album Grammy Award twice, for both Voodoo and Black Messiah, and also Best R&B Song for Really Love in 2016 and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Untitled (How Does It Feel).
The singer is survived by two sons and a daughter.
