Questlove is finally opening up about his longtime friendship with D’Angelo and how he’s been doing in the aftermath of the singer’s death. And trust us when we tell you, it’s heartbreaking to hear.
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As we previously told you, the “Brown Sugar” singer died on Oct. 14. His death was confirmed by his former manager Kedar Massenberg and other sources close to his family and was attributed to a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 51. As the news of his passing began to spread, many of his close friends and musical peers shared heartwarming tributes and memories of the reclusive singer. But there was one person who was noticeably quiet and that was none other than The Roots’ famous drummer and Questlove.
Well, all that changed on Thursday when he announced on his official Instagram that he’d written a tribute to D’Angelo for Rolling Stone. In his videos on social media, Questlove read the article to his fans and followers, sharing fun stories, musical moments, and his overall feelings about his close bond with the “Voodoo” singer, whom he described as “one of the last pure artists in Black music.”
In particular, he spoke about his “looming feeling” he had about D’Angelo, explaining how he felt like he’d get ‘”the call” at any moment that something bad had happened concerning him. That feeling had been with him since “Voodoo’s” release in 2000. He also shared one of the last moments he had with D’Angelo which was when they were rehearsing for the 2025 Roots Picnic over the this past summertime.
As it had come to be expected with the singer, Questlove anticipated for him to show up late. But in this instance, D’Angelo’s lateness served as a clue that something deeper may have been going on with him. To be specific, their call time was 10 p.m. and the “Cruisin’” singer didn’t show up until 3 a.m.
“He was famously secretive, but something felt different,” Questlove said.
He later added: “In retrospect, I could see his clock was health-shifted. He was struggling to hold his guitar, preferring to sit at the keyboards. Initially I thought, ‘oh man this is like, I felt the aesthetic was by choice, like a throwback to 1995 D’Angelo vibe.’ I didn’t realize the medical truth unfolding. And when asked, he’d say he’d been through something and he was on the mend and that he’d be ready. He’d be alright.”
Questlove went on to say that despite D’Angelo’s reassurance, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be a their “final” rehearsal together. The second thing that clued him in that something may be going on was when the “Send It On” singer didn’t push back on a music set suggestion from him–which was something that he usually did.
Additionally, Questlove went on to say that the last few weeks they shared together was the best time for their friendship. He then shared how he spent time with D’Angelo in the hospital reflecting on their life journeys, shared musical interests, their complicated family history and more. He described it as the “healing he didn’t see coming.”
He also noted that he would play binaural tones in the room with the “When We Get By” singer and described his room as one of the “most zen hospital rooms ever.”
A funeral for D’Angelo has reportedly been scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1 but it hasn’t been confirmed by his official estate.
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