Canadian Artist and Music Industry Voices Remember D'Angelo

The music world is deeply mourning the loss of a giant, soul/R&B superstar D'Angelo.

On Oct. 14, he died at age 51, following a battle with pancreatic cancer, the singer’s family confirmed in a statement shared with Billboard.

"Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Va., D’Angelo transformed modern soul music with his debut album Brown Sugar (1995), which hit the Billboard 200 and served as one of the pioneering projects of the 1990s neo-soul movement," Billboard writes.

The Guardian's music critic Alexis Petridis states that "Brown Sugar was resolutely not a mere homage but a product of its era, the work of an artist who cared as much about hip-hop as he did about Black music’s history, who worshipped Prince and – as a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist – modelled himself on his idol’s auteur approach."

Billboard continues. "D'Angelo's follow-up, Voodoo (2000), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and his slick single 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)' earned D’Angelo a Grammy Award for best male R&B vocal performance. The album itself won best R&B album at the 2001 Grammys and has since been hailed as one of that era’s greatest records. He stepped away from the music industry for more than a decade before returning with his political masterpiece Black Messiah in 2014."

Over his career, D’Angelo won four Grammys, including awards for best R&B album for Voodoo in 2001 and Black Messiah in 2016. He also won best male R&B vocal performance in 2001 for “Untitled (How Does It Feel”) and best R&B song in 2016 for “Really Love.” The latter hit was also nominated for record of the year, his only nomination in a “Big Four” category.”

At just three full-length albums, D'Angelo's discography is succinct, but his impact and influence has been immense.

That certainly applied to Canada as well, as evidenced by comments we elicited from some noted figures in the Canadian Black music industry.

Phil Vassell, executive director of Canada Black Music Archives and editor and publisher of WORD Magazine, paid tribute to the soul great in a statement to Billboard Canada.

"D'Angelo defined '90s soul/R&B music for those who grew up on neo-soul sounds. That's why he was on the cover of WORD Mag for our Black History Month issue in February 2000; virtually around the same time he dropped the Voodoo album – arguably his best," Vassell says.

"Think about it: He was the complete package, a multi-instrumentalist and a singer-songwriter in the tradition of Prince and Marvin Gaye. D'Angelo was also the Black Adonis, who made the ladies swoon. For men, he personified cool. Three albums and 14 Grammy nominations barely captured this Black genius' impact on the music of that era. He blessed us all with gospel-influenced, sensuous and soulful sounds. Like Marvin Gaye before him, D'Angelo was the son of a preacher. Gone too soon, but we will always have his music. RIP."

Veteran Toronto music journalist, author and publicist Dalton Higgins offered this homage to Billboard Canada:

"The reason D'Angelo's death hits so hard is that his ceiling was much higher than most, and we always craved more musical output from him. But that's not how mildly reclusive musical savants move.

"His musical legacy was already secured after the release of a debut album, Brown Sugar, that kickstarted a whole new sound and music subgenre, neo-soul – whose DNA can be found in everyone from Frank Ocean to Kendrick Lamar. I’m just glad that I got to witness him play at those heights at Toronto’s Opera House 30 years ago as it left us all in awe."

Toronto music promoter Jonathan Ramos (now VP global touring for Live Nation) was the promoter behind that legendary Opera House concert, via his company R.E.M.G, as well as D'Angelo's final appearance in Toronto, at Sound Academy in 2013. Responding to news of D'Angelo's death, Ramos posted this on Facebook: "A very sad day for all of us but I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to work with a legend."

Ramos also recalled a 2000 show that never happened, planned for Massey Hall.

"In true D fashion, he was giving it ALL on the Voodoo tour (3 hour shows) and lost his voice hours before doors in Toronto. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. Rest easy!"

Juno-winning soul singer-songwriter Sean Jones offered this tribute to Billboard Canada: "Like most people, I loved the work he put out. Every song had so many layers to it. Each one was a masterpiece. I had the opportunity to see him live many moons ago when he came to Toronto and performed at The Sound Academy. I left there in awe of what I’d seen. True artistry at its highest level. A true master at work. We all witnessed genius that night. He will be dearly missed."

As tributes to D'Angelo flooded social media, it was fascinating to observe posts from notable Canadian musicians who work in other genres. That is clear evidence that his work had a huge impact across the contemporary music spectrum.

Artists Pay Tribute on Social Media

Here are some of those tributes:

Canadian singer-songwriter Charlotte Day Wilson offered this tribute on Instagram: "Heartbroken. Impossible for me to articulate the impact he had on me but if u know me u know. Rest in peace, surrounded by the greats who sang through you, as you’ll continue to sing through us for generations to come 🕊️🤍"

Toronto musician/producer Derek Downham (The Beauties, Andy Kim) on Facebook: "Very sad. These albums shaped my ears in ways no others have. Rest, D'Angelo."

On Instagram, Canadian R&B star Daniel Caesar paid his respects by linking to a D'Angelo video (a performance of Prince's "Sometimes It Snows In April").

Award-winning Canadian blues veteran Jack De Keyzer, on Facebook: "Very sad news. One of the greats, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, R&B vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger D'Angelo has passed on. RIP D'Angelo."

Polaris Prize-winning rapper and author Cadence Weapon, on X: "I'm absolutely stunned. RIP to the legend D'Angelo. Bar none, one of the greatest musicians of this generation."

Toronto musician and artist Kurt Swinghammer, on Facebook: "Every musician who absorbed the monumental album Voodoo 25 years ago recognized not only the influence of great R&B pioneers including Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Prince, but that D’Angelo, along with the players, most notably Quest Love, Pino Palladino, and the uncredited presence of J Dilla, had contributed something new to the vocabulary of music. They expanded the feel of Groove, and it’s still a remarkable listen a quarter century later. That it took a music biz eon of 14 years to release a follow up secured his place as an enigmatic legend. Bravo, D’Angelo. R.I.P."

Producer-engineer and musician Justin Gray, on Facebook: "Voodoo and Black Messiah are two of the most important artistic documents in history. Rest in Power D'Angelo."

Read tributes from such U.S. artists as Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat, DJ Premier, Jill Scott, Freddie Gibbs and more in this Billboard feature.