D’Angelo’s Last Days With Cancer, Revealed

The death of D’Angelo, the smooth and soulful R&B and Neo-Soul singer responsible for hits like “Really Love,” “Brown Sugar,” and more, is still echoing throughout the music industry and beyond. After learning that he passed away due to a private battle with pancreatic cancer, fans are curious about his final moments–and now we’ve just learned a few more details.

As we told you on Tuesday, the beloved singer’s passing was confirmed by his family and came as a shock to many. While D’Angelo (legally Michael Eugene Archer) was famously reclusive, most fans still held out hope that they would eventually see him pop out every now and then. Their hopes increased earlier this year when it was announced that the “I Found My Smile Again” singer would be performing at the Roots Picnic in June.

But just a week and a half before the show, he canceled his highly anticipated appearance, citing an “unforeseen medical delay” and complications from a previous surgery according to Billboard. He unfortunately never specified exactly what kind of surgery and why he had to undergo it in the first place.

Now, fast forward four months later, a source close to his family is shedding some light on the “Chicken Grease” singer’s wellbeing during his last days and likely reason why behind that cancellation. Speaking to PEOPLE on Tuesday, the source revealed that D’Angelo had allegedly been in hospice for two weeks, but had been in the hospital for several months.

While there, he spent most of his time with his son, Michael Archer Jr. who offered him comfort and support as he was going through his health challenges. (Archer Jr. is the child that D’Angelo shared with fellow late singer Angie Stone, who died in a tragic car accident in March.)

Archer Jr. later broke his silence on his father’s passing, writing in a statement that both his parents taught him to be strong and that’s what he intended on being during this difficult time. He also thanked fans for their prayers and shared that this had been a “tough year” for him.

The family source echoed similar sentiments, explaining that given how frequently he’d been with his father lately and Stone’s prior passing, people are even more concerned for him.

Additionally, as noted by the New York Post, the “Voodoo” singer also allegedly struggled with “image issues” in his latter days, with another source close to the family saying that while he never really got comfortable being looked at as a “sex symbol,” he didn’t necessarily want his fans seeing him at the bigger size he was.

This internal struggle is similar to what the singer expressed in the early 2000s when “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” made him even more of a household name and the object of desire for many of his female fans.

“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,” they said on Tuesday. “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.”

Despite his own internal demons, it’s clear that on the outside, he was loved and admired by many. D’Angelo’s legacy will no doubt live on as many famous faces like Jill Scott, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Sheila E, and more are sharing kind words and posting fond memories of his life and incomparable contributions to music.