D’Angelo’s Life in Photos, from Young Artist to R&B Superstar

Early Days

D’Angelo was born as Michael Eugen Archer on February 11, 1974, in Richmond, VA. The star’s musical talents began showing at an early age, as he began playing the piano at three years old and was playing with his father — who was a church minister — by the time he was five.

D’Angelo Pursues His Dreams

Around 1991, D’Angelo moved to New York in pursuit of his dreams, becoming part of the band I.D.U., in which he served as a producer and rapper. The up-and-comer also gained some notoriety around the same time, having won amateur night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem several times.

D’Angelo Finds Early Success

In 1993, D’Angelo scored his breakthrough hit with “U Will Know” which he wrote for Black Men United — a supergroup comprised of Usher, Brian McKnight, Raphael Saadiq, Gerald Levert, Boyz II Men and R. Kelly. The song was also featured in the 1994 film, Jason’s Lyric.

D’Angelo Breaks Through

In 1995, D’Angelo released his breakthrough debut album, Brown Sugar, to critical acclaim. The album would go platinum and was nominated for three trophies at the 38th annual Grammy Awards the following year.

D’Angelo’s Relationship with Angie Stone

D’Angelo dated fellow R&B vocalist Angie Stone in the 1990s — she was his muse for the Brown Sugar album, and he helped produce her music — and they had a son together, Michael Archer Jr. The two broke up in 1999; Stone died earlier this year in a car accident.

D’Angelo also had two more children, daughter Imani and son Morocco.

D’Angelo’s First Step Back from the Spotlight

D’Angelo would go on tour following the success of Brown Sugar, but did not release new music for several years, citing writer’s block.

D’Angelo Strikes Gold Again

In 2000, D’Angelo followed up with Voodoo, which was “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” became the breakout hit from the album, partially because of his silky voice, but also because of the steamy music video, which depicted the R&B crooner shirtless for its entirety.

The album would win two Grammys, for Best R&B Album and Best Male Vocal Performance.

D’Angelo’s Struggles

Following the meteoric success of Voodoo D’Angelo once again retreated from the spotlight.

Struggling with the pressures of the spotlight and his newfound role as a sex symbol, D’Angelo (pictured in 2001) faced drug and alcohol addiction. He was arrested in 2005 and charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana and driving while intoxicated. A week after being sentenced in September of that year, he was involved in a serious car accident. “To tell you the truth,” D’Angelo told PEOPLE, “I don’t really remember anything” about the crash.

D’Angelo Goes Back to the Stage

D’Angelo would go under the radar again before emerging in 2012 for the D’Angelo and Friends Tour, which hit several European cities.

D’Angelo’s Third and Final Album

In 2014, D’Angelo released his long-awaited third album, Black Messiah, which was once again well-received by fans and critics alike. The record would score another two Grammys for the musician: Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song for “Really Love.”

After that, he retreated from the spotlight once again. “D’Angelo was very eccentric, he had a manager but he wouldn’t work,” a source tells PEOPLE. “He was a recluse; he didn’t like going out of the house.”

D’Angelo Dies

On October 14, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that D’Angelo died after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 51.

“He was in hospice for two weeks but had been in the hospital for months,” the source told PEOPLE of the star’s pancreatic cancer battle.