Michael Archer Jr., son of R&B stars D'Angelo and Angie Stone, has been dealing with grief for months, long before his father's death on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old musician, whose stage name is Swayvo Twain, wrote a heartbreaking Instagram post reflecting on the deaths of his parents and the final moments he shared with his Grammy-winning father. His mother, Grammy-nominated singer Angie Stone, died in March in a traffic accident in Alabama. He was 63 years old. D'Angelo died Tuesday after a private battle with cancer. He was 51 years old.
“I sat here watching my dad die after feeling like it was the first time he and I were really building,” Archer wrote in an Instagram Story shared Tuesday. “He was there when I needed him most after my mom passed away.”
Archer added: “Unfortunately, time ran out.”
D'Angelo's family announced Tuesday that the neo-soul pioneer had “been called home” after a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer.” No additional details about his fight against cancer were revealed.
D'Angelo won four Grammy Awards and is known for his sultry albums “Brown Sugar” and “Voodoo.” Although he was immensely influential on generations of R&B, the singer had a strained relationship with fame that led him to spend years out of the spotlight. Stone, on the other hand, was a singer who found success in the neo-soul movement in the 1990s, after nearly two decades in the music business. His work included the solo album “Black Diamond” and the singles “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” and “Wish I Did't Miss You.”
Before his parents' deaths, the rapper and singer spoke about D'Angelo and Stone's careers and their influence on his music for an episode of MTV's “Family Legacy.” As he recalled how he bonded with his father through music and shared a tender (sometimes awkward) confessional with his mother, he joked that the couple's best work was himself.
Archer reflected on the “Family Legacy” episode weeks after his mother's death, writing on Instagram that he wanted to pave his own path and “separate myself from my parents because I always felt like I was destined to be in their shadows forever.”
“Fortunately, long before Mom left, I learned to fully embrace them and their legacy,” he wrote at the time. “I feel blessed and happy to have had this moment with my mom.”
Joining Archer on social media to mourn D'Angelo's death were Lauryn Hill, Jaime Foxx, Missy Elliott and Jill Scott. Beyoncé honored the R&B star with a tribute on the home page of her website.
“We thank him for his beautiful music, his voice, his mastery of the piano, his art,” the monument reads. “You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed Rhythm & Blues forever. We will never forget you.”
