How Does It Feel: Remembering D’Angelo

We were still trying to get over the sudden and tragic loss of Angie Stone earlier this year when we received more heartbreaking news. D’Angelo had quietly passed away after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. Wait…what??? We didn’t know. He was still young. We weren’t ready for this.

Michael Eugene Archer, known to the world as D’Angelo, was raised on the hymns of the church and the hum of the streets of Richmond, VA. His father was a Pentecostal minister, and the young prodigy learned early how to turn pain, praise, and poetry into melody. By the time most teens were figuring out who they were, D’Angelo had already written his truth in chords.

For so many of us, especially those who grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s, his music was the soundtrack to our coming of age. When he hit the scene with his debut album “Brown Sugar” (1995), he wasn’t just reviving soul music — he was reenergizing it.  Songs like “Lady” and “Cruisin’” lived on every slow jam playlist, while “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” raised the bar and audience for his art.

Since the news of his passing, millions have streamed his music this week. Fans are posting grainy videos from his live shows, debating which album moved them most, and sharing stories of what his music meant to them at pivotal moments in their lives.

Online, Gen X and millennials are playfully arguing about who could honor him best in a tribute with names like October London, Lauryn Hill, Bilal, Ro James, Lucky Daye, H.E.R., and Jill Scott floating around. Whoever it is, the consensus is clear: It better be good.

As we say goodbye to D’Angelo, we hold our memories close to our hearts. We remember the dimly lit rooms, the laughter, the head-nods, the love that gently touched our souls. He left us with melodies that still breathe. They will continue to remind us that soul music wasn’t just something you heard — it was something you felt.

Photo credit: Getty Images