American singer D'Angelo dies battling cancer

D’Angelo, the famous American singer and founder of new soul music, has died at the age of 51 after battling pancreatic cancer.

Speaking to Variety, D’Angelo’s family expressed their deep sorrow and said, “We are saddened by his passing, but we will always be grateful for his unparalleled musical legacy. Our family’s shining star will always be remembered with his light. He left the world after a long and courageous battle with cancer.”

D’Angelo was a famous R&B singer who began his music career in the 90s. His debut album, ‘Brown Sugar’, was released in 1995 which reached number four on Billboard’s Top Hip-Hop Albums. The songs ‘Cruise’ and ‘Lady’ from this album were critically acclaimed.

He later released two more albums, ‘Voodoo’ and ‘Black Messiah’, of which ‘Black Messiah’ spent two weeks at number one on Billboard.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked ‘Brown Sugar’ as number 183 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.

Born in Virginia, D’Angelo was known as a reclusive figure and released music sporadically, but most of his songs were well-received by both fans and critics.

In 2016, he was also included in a playlist created by former US President Barack Obama, which also included pop superstar Janet Jackson, soul singer Janelle Monáe, and blues rocker Gary Clark Jr.