D’Angelo, the iconic R&B artist, was reported to have passed away on October 14, following a private battle with pancreatic cancer, as confirmed by TMZ. He was 51 at the time of his tragic death. He is survived by his two sons and a daughter. A source confided to PEOPLE of his demise,
He was in hospice for two weeks but had been in the hospital for months. His son was there with him and had been with him in the hospital.
The GOAT singer’s eldest son, Michael Archer, was with the late singer-songwriter Angie Stone. He was born in 1998, when D’Angelo was 24 and Stone was 36, going on 37. Heartbreakingly enough, just a few months ago, Archer buried his mother in March this year, when she passed away in a car crash at 63.
DʼAngelo Struggled With a Drug Problem
As D’Angelo’s status as a s-x symbol continued to grow over the years, the singer became more and more conscious and uncomfortable with it. So much so that he started struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, which even led him to trouble with the law a few times.
Per reports from PEOPLE, the Unshaken singer was arrested in 2005 and charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana, as well as driving while intoxicated. A week after he was sentenced in September of that year for these charges, the songwriter got into a car accident and was reported to be critically injured.
At the time of his death, the singer had been working on his fourth album with Raphael Saadiq, which is now reportedly being planned to be released posthumously.
DʼAngelo Also Battled With His Weight
Besides his drug abuse and struggles with alcohol, D’Angelo is also said to have seriously battled with his weight. An insider close to the late musician claimed to PEOPLE soon after his death was announced,
D’Angelo was very eccentric; he had a manager, but he wouldn’t work. He was a recluse; he didn’t like going out of the house. He battled with his weight. The chiseled machismo man that people fell in love with, that wasn’t his natural aesthetic. He was naturally a bigger guy.
The source also claimed that the singer was “always really conflicted” because he felt uncomfortable being a s-x symbol but also didn’t approve of people seeing him on his heavier side. The insider said,
He was never comfortable being a sex symbol, but also he didn’t like people seeing him on his heavier side, so he was always really conflicted.
Despite the fact that he was struggling with cancer and had been in the hospital for weeks before his death, D’Angelo’s death comes as a massive blow. As sources continue to express their sincere concerns for his son with Angie Stone, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and hope and pray that his soul rests in peace.
