:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/beyonce-DAngelo-Jamie-Foxx-101425-e0567649825b42f48954281a100075f4.jpg "Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Lauryn Hill, and more pay tribute to late music legend D'Angelo: 'A beacon o...")
The &34;Brown Sugar&34; singer and Grammy winner died at 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Lauryn Hill, and more pay tribute to late music legend D'Angelo: 'A beacon of light' The &34;Brown Sugar&34; singer and Grammy winner died at 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. By Ryan Coleman :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RyanColemanauthorphoto0081ce8f0254478080f35972c433877b.jpg) Ryan Coleman Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books. EW's editorial guidelines October 14, 2025 11:31 p.m.
The "Brown Sugar" singer and Grammy winner died at 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.
Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Lauryn Hill, and more pay tribute to late music legend D'Angelo: 'A beacon of light'
The "Brown Sugar" singer and Grammy winner died at 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.
By Ryan Coleman
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Ryan-Coleman-author-photo-0081ce8f0254478080f35972c433877b.jpg)
Ryan Coleman
Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.
EW's editorial guidelines
October 14, 2025 11:31 p.m. ET
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Beyoncé, D'Angelo, and Jamie Foxx. Credit:
Amy Sussman/WireImage; Lionel FLUSIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty; Marc Piasecki/Getty
The music world is honoring soul luminary D'Angelo following his death Tuesday at age 51.
The celebrated singer and multi-instrumentalist, who won Grammys for his innovative fusion of soul, funk, rock, and R&B, inspired generations of artists who grew up listening to era-defining albums like 1995's *Brown Sugar *and 2000's *Voodoo*.
In the wake of his death after a battle with pancreatic cancer, the "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" singer's contemporaries, collaborators, and fans poured out tributes to his impact on their lives and music at large.**
"I regret not having more time with you," fellow Grammy winner and R&B icon Lauryn Hill wrote on X. "Your undeniable beauty and talent were not of this world, and a presence not of this world needs protection in a world that covets light and the anointing of God. You sir, moved us, stirred us, inspired and even intimidated others to action with your genius. Thank you for being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us."
Hill and D'Angelo collaborated on "Nothing Really Matters," one of the most enduring tracks from Hill's beloved 1998 solo debut, *The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill*.
Jill Scott, a fellow architect of the late-'90s sound that would be coined neo-soul, noted on X that she had never met D'Angelo, but "I love him, respect him, admire his gift. This loss HURTS!! Love to my family that are family to him. I'm so sorry. R.I.P. GENIUS."**
D'Angelo, neo-soul pioneer and 'Brown Sugar' singer, dies at 51
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Lauryn Hill slams 'misconception' that she is 'too important to care' after delayed festival set
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Pioneering guitarist, producer, and Chic co-founder, Nile Rodgers, recalled being introduced to D'Angelo by a mutual friend when the "Lady" singer was in need of fresh input on new material.
"I listened to every cut... not just out of respect but because it was smoking," he wrote on X. "At the end of the encounter he asked me, 'What should I do with it?' I remember this as if it were yesterday. I said, 'Put it out. It's perfect!'"
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Two out of three Destiny's Child members also expressed their grief over the icon born Michael Eugene Archer.
"This one hurts, DEEP! The way this man, poured himself in the music! The stories I've heard of his brilliant process... I'm just speechless... He TRULY IS 1 of 1. Simply gutted by this loss!" Kelly Rowland wrote on Instagram, with Tina Knowles, mother to Rowland's former Destiny's Child bandmate Beyoncé, commenting, "Such a great loss."
Beyoncé herself dedicated the homepage of her official website to D'Angelo on Tuesday. A picture of the musician at the microphone was accompanied by the caption, "Rest in peace...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 and blues forever. We will never forget you."********
Maxwell, Tyler, the Creator, Jennifer Hudson, and more also posted tributes to D'Angelo on Tuesday, but the message shared by Jamie Foxx to his 17 million Instagram followers had fans grieving in the comments.
"I remember hearing your music for the first time... I said to myself damn whoever this is they are anointed... Then when I finally got a chance to see you... Like everyone when they saw the most incredible music video of our time... I was blown away," Foxx recalled.
The Oscar-winner continued, "God put you here for a reason and we were all lucky enough to see what God had made... That's why today real tears run down my face... to hear the news that God has taken one of his special creations home... I know God doesn't make mistakes... But this one hurts like hell... rest up my friend... you will be missed forever."
Source: "EW Music"
Source: Music
Published: October 31, 2025 at 06:25PM on Source: SHOWBIZ MAG
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