Michael Archer Jr., D’Angelo & Angie Stone’s Son, Reflects on ‘Rough and Sad Year’ After Losing Both Parents in 7 Months

Michael Archer Jr., the son of D’Angelo and Angie Stone, has issued a statement following the death of his father on Tuesday (Oct. 14), which comes just seven months after the death of his mother.

“I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers during these very difficult times, as it has been a very rough and sad year for me,” Archer Jr. told People. “I ask that you please continue to keep me in your thoughts as it will not be easy, but one thing that both my parents taught me was to be strong, and I intend to do just that.”

D’Angelo’s family confirmed that the neo-soul icon died at age 51 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. “The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” read the statement, which was shared with Billboard. “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, Oct. 14, 2025.”

Stone, founding member of the trio The Sequence, died at age 63 in a car crash on March 1 after her last performance at Mardi Gras Association’s Grand Marshal’s Ball in Mobile, Alabama. “Unfortunately, at around 4 a.m. while heading back to Atlanta from Alabama, the Sprinter flipped over and was subsequently hit by a big rig. Thankfully, all survived except for Angie,” Walter Millsap, president of Conjuction Entertainment, said in a statement obtained by Billboard.

Archer Jr., who performs under the stage name Swayvo Train, shared an Instagram clip of the “Heart and Neo-Soul (Ginuwine and D’Angelo)” episode of MTV’s Family Legacy, where he and Stone watched one of D’Angelo’s old interviews, specifically when he talked about spending the years between his 1995 debut album Brown Sugar and his 2000 album Voodoo with his family. “I had a son. After his birth, I started writing for the album. And this album is dedicated to my son,” D’Angelo says in the interview. “He inspired me not just to write songs but to be a better man and to grow up. And that’s what the album is about. Music to me is about growth, and I grew a lot.”

When Stone passed away earlier this year, Archer Jr. paid tribute in a heartfelt Instagram post. “Hey mama, I ain’t want nothing, just wanted to say I love you … Im so grateful for the lessons that I learned from you, I hope to one day be as good to my kids as you were to me,” he wrote at the time. “I just wanted to you to know that I got it from here , imma be okay… and imma LONG LIVE YOU 4Ever love you mama.”