‘They [taught] me to be strong’: D’Angelo and Angie Stone’s son honors his late parents

D’Angelo and Angie Stone who dated in the 90s and share a son Michael Archer II, have both died 7 months apart.

Sometimes, even words can’t hold the weight of what’s been lost. In a year marked by unimaginable grief, Michael Archer II, the only son of D’Angelo and Angie Stone, has broken his silence following the recent death of his father, the neo-soul pioneer who redefined an era.

“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 said in a statement as reported by Loren Lorosa from “The Breakfast Club.” “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.”

A statement from D’Angelo and Angie Stone’s son Michael on the passing of his father:

“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.” “I ask that you please continue to keep me in your thoughts as… pic.twitter.com/2sptOsy5N8— BROWN GIRL GRINDING⭐️ (@LorenLorosa) October 14, 2025

In March of this year, Archer lost his mother, Angie Stone, in a tragic car accident. Now, he faces the loss of his father, who passed away following a silent battle with prostate cancer.

“The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life,” D’Angelo’s family said in a statement, per USA Today. “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.”

D’Angelo met Angie Stone in the mid-’90s while working on his hit album “Brown Sugar.” By that time, Stone was already an icon in her own right: a trailblazer who began her career in the pioneering female rap trio The Sequence, later finding her own groove as a solo R&B powerhouse with hits like “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” Sharing a chemistry creatively, Stone helped shape D’Angelo’s early sound, co-writing and co-producing songs that became central to his debut. Their creative partnership soon turned romantic, and for several years, they became one of R&B’s most talked-about couples, sometimes for reasons that had little to do with music.

Their 12-year age gap became a subject of public fascination and criticism, something Stone later addressed in an interview with Essence magazine. She said the backlash didn’t come until D’Angelo’s fame began to rise. Before that, she recalled, “He was just a 19-year-old kid with big shorts and nobody cared and no one saw his beauty but me.” She remembered encouraging him to embrace that beauty, even helping braid his hair for his first album cover, an image that would become as iconic as his music. 

Their love story, though brief, was embodied by the birth of their son Michael in 1997. By the time D’Angelo released his long-awaited sophomore album “Voodoo” in 2000, he spoke of how fatherhood had changed him, dedicating the album to his son. 

Even years after their separation, Stone expressed her everlasting love for D’Angelo telling Dr. Sean McMillian in a 2020 interview, “When you’ve experienced true love, real love, it never dies. Even though you go your separate ways and life goes on for everyone and you take different paths you never ever forget the purest of love. That was a genuine love that no one has ever been able to compete with.”

Now, their son, Archer II, who records under the name Swayvo Twain, carries the legacy of two legendary artists whose music defined an era.