I overslept an alarm today. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t have much planned anyway. But when I did wake up, a pal of mine sent me a DM on Instagram of a post from Baller Alert that read “SOUL LEGEND D’ANGELO PASSES AWAY AFTER PRIVATE BATTLE WITH PANCREATIC CANCER.”
I read the post and was shocked. I don’t think anyone really knew he had been sick, let alone deathly ill. And his age — 51 — was especially shocking.
Although he was fairly reclusive, D’Angelo was an instrumental figure in the neo-soul movement as we know it. His three albums, 1996’s Brown Sugar, 2000’s Voodoo and 2014’s Black Messiah are beloved by his fans.
My thoughts and love go out to the man’s family, collaborators and friends — especially his son Michael, who lost both his mom and dad within months.
Long live, D’angelo!
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