39
He refused opportunistic featurings, preferring deep connections.“ I don’ t make music with someone because they’ re famous. I do it because our souls have something to say to each other.”- D’ Angelo
D’ Angelo also contributed the song“ Unshaken” for the Red Dead Redemption 2 video game in 2018, having been a tester for the game himself. In 2021, he took part in a Verzuz event, performing with friends and collaborators Method Man & Redman and H. E. R.. In 2024, he collaborated with Jay-Z on the song“ I Want You Forever” for the soundtrack to the film The Book of Clarence.
Personal Life and Death
D’ Angelo has never been married. In the 1990s, he had a relationship with soul singer Angie Stone, who was his muse on the Brown Sugar album. They had a son together, Michael Archer Jr.( known professionally as Swayvo Twain), born in 1997. D’ Angelo also had two other children: a daughter, Imani Archer( born 1999), and a son( born 2010).
D’ Angelo died of pancreatic cancer in New York on October 14, 2025, at the age of 51. He was working on a fourth album with Raphael Saadiq at the time of his death. His family revealed that he had spent two weeks in palliative care and had been hospitalized for months. Many public figures, including Lauryn Hill, Barack Obama, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Tyler, the Creator, paid tribute to him. His music and influence are considered to have inspired many artists.
Flashmag! Edition 166 Novembre 2025
Heritage and resonance
D’ Angelo never sought glory. He sought truth. His music is slow, dense, embodied. It paved the way for Frank Ocean, Solange, Anderson. Paak. He proved that soul could be sacred, sensual and radical.
39