Michael Archer Jr. Shares Heartfelt Reflection On The Loss Of His Father, D’Angelo

The music community continues to mourn the loss of Michael Eugene Archer, the legendary D’Angelo, who passed away in October 2025 at the age of 51.

In a recent appearance on the ABC News Live special, Love & Neo-Soul: Honoring D’Angelo, his son Michael Archer Jr. provided a rare glimpse into his grieving process and the “bittersweet” nature of seeing his father honored on the global stage.

Reflecting on Lauryn Hill’s 2026 Grammy tribute to his father and Roberta Flack, Archer Jr. expressed a desire to see his parents recognized as a unit. “I love the tribute,” he said, noting that in his mind he’d want to honor his dad and mom Angie Stone, who also died in 2025, together.  

The timeline of D’Angelo’s battle with pancreatic cancer was swift, with Archer Jr. recalling the moment he realized the severity of the situation in mid-2025. “His voice as sounded weak like but he was still trying to talk to me,” says Archer Jr., who then found out D’Angelo was in the hospital. The loss of the Grammy winner was part of a devastating year for the family, as Archer Jr. also faced the deaths of his mother and grandmother within the same twelve-month span.

While looking through old photographs, Archer Jr. admitted to the difficulty of processing a future that no longer includes his father’s presence or guidance. “I feel, like, cheated in a sense, you know, especially with my father. I was just excited for what the future held for us,” he said.

To navigate the weight of these losses, he has turned to music, physical fitness, and professional counseling. “I just started with a therapist,” says Archer Jr. “That’s been helping me.” As he matures, the physical legacy of his parents remains a constant topic of conversation, though he sees himself as a blend of both. Archer Jr. noted that as he gets older people tell him he looks “more like his father,” though he thinks he looks like both his parents.