(NEXSTAR) — R&B/soul icon D’Angelo, who rose to fame in the ’90s with a series of critically acclaimed and platinum-selling albums, has died at 51 after a cancer struggle, the singer’s family confirmed to Variety and People on Tuesday.
In a statement to Variety, the family said in part: “We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.”
The artist, whose birth name was Michael Eugene Archer, was a four-time Grammy Award winner, and though the private star only released three albums in his lifetime, he’s widely considered among the best R&B artists of all time.
The Virginia native made his earliest splashes in the music industry as a writer and producer. In 1994, D’Angelo co-wrote and co-produced the single “U Will Know,” which was performed by R&B supergroup Black Men United, which consisted of Brian McKnight, Usher, Boyz II Men and Raphael Saadiq, to name a few.
D’Angelo’s debut album, “Brown Sugar,” arrived in July 1995 and was driven to platinum sales certification on the strength of its singles, including the title track and “Lady,” the latter of which would go on to be a Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit, still the biggest U.S. Billboard hit of his career.
The album received widespread acclaim and is considered to have helped create the “neo soul” genre, which became popular through the ’90s and early ’00s with artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scot, and Lauryn Hill.
Earlier this year, D’Angelo made a notable return to live performing when he joined fellow R&B legends The Roots at the Root Picnic music festival in Philadelphia. The May show was the artist’s first full live set since 2016, MassLive reports.
D’Angelo is survived by three children.
This is a developing story.