Lauryn Hill regrets not spending more time with D’Angelo, she reveals in a tribute to the late singer.
Following his death due to pancreatic cancer Tuesday morning, Hill, who collaborated with D’Angelo on her song “Nothing Even Matters,” shared some words about his craft, and the impact he had on people and the R&B genre.
“I regret not having more time with you. Your undeniable beauty and talent were not of this world, and a presence not of this world needs protection in a world that covets light and the anointing of God,” Hill wrote on X. “You sir, moved us, stirred us, inspired and even intimidated others to action with your genius.”
She then thanked him for “being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us” and for “charting the course and for making space during a time when no similar space really existed.”
“You imaged a unity of strength and sensitivity in Black manhood to a generation that only saw itself as having to be one or the other. It is my earnest prayer that you are in peace,” she wrote.
Beyoncé also paid tribute to D’Angelo on her website, writing, “We thank you for your beautiful music, your voice, your proficiency on the piano, your artistry. You were the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever. We will never forget you.”
In a lengthy post on his Instagram Story, Justin Timberlake shared how D’Angelo changed him with albums Brown Sugar and the “absolutely transcendent” Voodoo, and recalled meeting him backstage at one of his tour stops for the Voodoo album.
“You took R&B and put it in all capitals. Meshed it with something else and changed the landscape. Made it something more,” he wrote. “Your contribution will always be remembered.”
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