As D’Angelo privately battled pancreatic cancer, Questlove noticed some of his health struggles during rehearsals for the Roots Picnic. He reflects on that experience for a Rolling Stone article written in tribute to his late friend.
According to Questlove, “something felt different” about their time together, starting with the extremely late start time for rehearsal. He says D’Angelo said he “was on the mend” when asked how he was feeling, but sat behind the keys because he “struggled to hold his guitar.”
“I thought it was an aesthetic choice. … I didn’t realize the medical truth unfolding,” Questlove writes. Though he tried to ignore the feeling that the rehearsal “felt final,” Quest says D’Angelo did something he normally wouldn’t.
“The most radical act for D was to play the album versions live,” Quest writes. “To him it felt lazy. In 25 years, we did the ‘normal versions’ just once. For the Picnic, I suggested: Let’s just do straight-no-chaser Brown Sugar cuts. Simpler, freer, less stage business. It was so easy I almost argued against my own idea.”
“He agreed immediately,” Quest continues. “Too quickly.”
D’Angelo eventually dropped out of his headlining spot at the Roots Picnic. He passed away on Oct. 14.
Questlove’s full tribute to D’Angelo is on rollingstone.com.
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