A velvet‑voiced architect of neo‑soul whose grooves reshaped Rhythm and Blues, D’Angelo has died at 51 after a private battle with cancer, his family said.

Relatives confirmed his death on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and asked for privacy, saying he passed after a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer.” Multiple outlets, including TMZ, reported the cause was pancreatic cancer.

The singer had kept his diagnosis out of public view. In May he withdrew from the Roots Picnic festival citing “unforeseen medical delays from a prior surgery.”

Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo became a defining force of the 1990s neo‑soul movement, melding church‑honed musicianship with earthy funk and hip‑hop swing.

His platinum debut, Brown Sugar (1995), introduced a simmering style and

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