D’Angelo’s family has broken their silence on his shocking death at age 51.

The neo-soul icon’s family confirmed that the Grammy winner had died on Tuesday, Oct. 14, after facing cancer.

“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” the singer’s family told PEOPLE in a statement. “After a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer, we are heartbroken to announce that Michael D’Angelo Archer, known to his fans around the world as D’Angelo, has been called home, departing this life today, October 14th, 2025.”

The statement continued: “We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time but invite you all join us in mourning his passing while also celebrating the gift of song that he has left for the world.”

A source previously confirmed D’Angelo’s death following his cancer battle, telling PEOPLE. That “he was in hospice for two weeks but had been in the hospital for months.”

A Richmond, Va., native, D’Angelo broke out in 1995 with his hit album Brown Sugar, which he followed up with the culture-defining records Voodoo (2000) and Black Messiah (2014). Behind his genius, though, the R&B star struggled with substance abuse, which contributed to his time out of the spotlight over the years.

In his later years, “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,” the source adds of the singer.

And while he was a sex symbol thanks to his toned physique (on display on his iconic Voodoo album cover), D’Angelo struggled with that role.

“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 adds. “He never was comfortable being a sex symbol, but also he didn’t like people seeing him on his heavier side, so he was always really conflicted.”

But despite his recent low profile, D’Angelo is featured heavily in Thompson’s recent documentary of Sly Stone. “Sly Lives!,” speaking of the challenges presented by stardom and. As the film’s subtitle posits, “The Burden of Black Genius”: the pressures of being a gifted Black artist or athlete who is expected to be an example and a leader. But may not be comfortable in that role, and the guilt that comes with being the one who made it, where others did not. While the film was about Sly Stone, a common impression is that D’Angelo was talking equally about himself.