Across three timeless studio albums, D’Angelo found all the right words to sing in the smoothest, most affecting notes. Those who were influenced, inspired, and shaped by the neo-soul legend’s work are searching for words of their own to honor and remember the musician, who died on Oct. 14 at the age of 51.
“My friend Gary Harris brought this musician named D’Angelo over to my NYC apt,” Nile Rodgers recalled on Instagram; Rodgers and D’Angelo later collaborated on the song “Water Get No Enemy” in 2002. “He was trying to figure out what to do with the music he’d brought with him. I listened to every cut…not just out of respect but because it was smoking. At the end of the encounter he asked me, ‘What should I do with it?’ I remember this as if it were yesterday. I said, ‘Put it out. It’s perfect!’ Being the #artist he is, I guess he had to explore some ways to make it better.”
Rodgers recalled hearing one of those songs on the radio a year later. “It was #genius and it was exactly what he had played for me,” he continued. “I know…I still have the original cassette.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea remembered D’Angelo for his “inimitable approach” to songwriting and his voice. “One of my all time favorites whose records I went to again and again. Noone did anything funkier over the last 30 years. I never knew him but humbled myself before his music,” the bassist wrote on Instagram. “What a rare and beautiful voice and an inimitable approach to songwriting. What a musician!!! He changed the course of popular music. Fly free with the angels D’angelo, we will listen to you forever and always be moved. I drop to my knees and pray.”
“Rest Peacefully D’Angelo,” Missy Elliott wrote on social platform X. “No parent want to see their children go but it’s painful for children to see their parents go to so send prayers up for his son who also lost his mom this year for strength.” D’Angelo is survived by his son, Michael Archer, whom he welcomed with neo-soul singer Angie Stone in 1998. Stone died in March 2025.
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On X, rapper Aminé recalled his earliest encounter with D’Angelo as a teenager during a drive. “I was 15 when my older cousin took me on a roadtrip to the bay and played me all of Brown Sugar and Voodoo for the very first time,” he wrote. “My life changed that day and I was obsessed. Rest in paradise D’angelo. U really meant so much to me and my family.”
Brown Sugar arrived in 1995 as a blazing debut that cemented D’Angelo as a leading musical force. He’d already built the foundation as a member of the Soulquarians (a loose musical collective that included Questlove, Erykah Badu, J Dilla, Q-Tip, and more) and as a songwriter penning records for other musicians and projects, such as Black Men United’s “U Will Know” from the 1994 film Jason’s Lyric.
“Rest in peace D’angelo,” Doja Cat wrote on X. “My thoughts, love and prayers go out to his family and friends. A true voice of soul and inspiration to many brilliant artists of our generation and generations to come.”
While D’Angelo’s influence transcends genre, it cannot be understated how extensively R&B and neo-soul, in particular, were shaped by his music. “Totally speechless,” R&B musician Kehlani wrote in an Instagram Story, sharing an image of D’Angelo. “Thank you for all you gave us. I don’t even know what to say.”
Other artists have found themselves at a similar loss for words. Tyler, the Creator shared an image of the musician on X, writing in a separate post: “Uhggg.” Destin Conrad and Flavor Flav also shared photos, with captions that included “Nah I’m so fucking sad” and “R.I.P. ICON,” respectively. 6LACK praised D’Angelo’s discography, writing, “Brown Sugar, Voodoo, and Black Messiah forever & ever.” Maxwell, another influential neo-soul figure, wrote on Instagram, “Because u were, we are all because.”
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Voodoo arrived in 2000, five years after Brown Sugar and 14 years before Black Messiah. The record dismantled the boundaries of genre for the young musician, who was only 26 at the time. The album expanded the horizon of sonic possibility, blending the influences of artists such as Prince, Lauryn Hill, and Marvin Gaye with Erykah Badu, Pink Floyd, and Stevie Wonder — and it was all filtered through the soul and spirit of D’Angelo.
Producers Alchemist, Kenny Beats, and DJ Premier paid tribute on social media with photos and notes. “Such a sad loss to the passing of D’angelo,” Premier wrote on X. “We have so many great times. Gonna miss you so much. Sleep Peacefully D’. Love You KING.”
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Jill Scott reacted to D’Angelo’s death on X just hours after she shared a post that showed love to her favorite musicians. It coincidentally began with “I love you D’Angelo.” “I told you a long time ago – You ain’t gon understand everything & everything ain’t meant 4 U, nor I, to understand,” she said. “I never met D’Angelo but I love him, respect him, admire his gift. This loss HURTS!! Love to my family that are family to him. I’m so sorry. R.I.P. GENIUS.”
“This really hurts! We lost a true original today,” Jennifer Hudson wrote on X. “It just doesn’t seem real!! It can’t be. D’Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest well, King!!!”
