Neo-soul pioneer D’Angelo, who collaborated with artists like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu, died Tuesday, Oct. 14, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 51 years old. Despite releasing just three albums across three decades, D’Angelo (born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia) left an indelible mark on R&B music. He won four Grammy Awards and inspired countless acts that came after, including Justin Timberlake. The former NSYNC lead vocalist shared D’Angelo’s impact on his own career in a post to his Instagram Stories.
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Rest in Power, D’Angelo 🕊️
— Jazz Is Dead (@jazzisdeadco) October 14, 2025
A true Maestro — his voice, vision, & spirit reshaped the sound of a generation.
He didn’t just make music — he built a language of soul, rooted in tradition but entirely his own.
Fly high, D'.#DAngelo pic.twitter.com/Wni7TSBOjp
How D’Angelo Helped Justin Timberlake Find His Voice
D’Angelo released his debut album, Brown Sugar, in 1995, the same year that a 14-year-old Justin Timberlake joined the boy band NSYNC. The “Cry Me a River” crooner, now 44, remembered hearing Brown Sugar for the first time, calling it “the most pivotal moment in establishing confidence in my own voice.”
“It changed me. You changed me… For the first time, I heard a sound that reflected the sounds I grew up with – early R&B but *now* it was intertwined with a modern edge,” Timberlake wrote.
Five years later, D’Angelo released his sophomore album, Voodoo, which the Prince of Pop called “maybe my favorite mixed album of all time.”
“It grabbed me. It shook me. I was changed once again,” declared Timberlake.
Continuing, he wrote, “You took R&B and put it in all capitals. Meshed it with something else and changed the landscape. Made it something more. Your contribution will always be remembered… 1 of 1. RIP Trailblazer.”
[RELATED: Justin Timberlake Reveals “Debilitating” Health Diagnosis: “I’m So Glad I Kept Going”]
D’Angelo Tributes Flood Social Media
Justin Timberlake isn’t the only musician forever changed by D’Angelo’s music. Tributes to the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” crooner continued to pour in after news broke of his death.
“Rest in peace, Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world of music as the inimitable D’Angelo,” superstar Beyoncé wrote on her website. “We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry. You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever. We will never forget you.”
Additionally, Grammy-winning R&B legend Lauryn Hill penned her own lengthy tribute to her “Nothing Even Matters” collaborator.
“Thank you for being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us,” Hill wrote. “Thank you for charting the course and for making space during a time when no similar space really existed.”
Featured image by Sebastian Reuter/Redferns
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