Following D’Angelo’s death from pancreatic cancer on October 14 at age 51, streams of his music surged 796% with 16.1 million U.S. on-demand plays over the week of Oct. 10-16. The top hits among fans were “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” which accumulated 2.5 million plays during that span, followed by “Lady” (2.2 million) and “Brown Sugar” (1.9 million). That increased activity caused those songs to debut on the Hot R&B Songs chart, with “Untitled” reaching No. 7, “Lady” claiming No. 8, and “Brown Sugar” sitting at No. 10, with “Untitled” also topping the R&B Digital Song Sales chart as well. Despite releasing only three albums over his 30 year career, D’Angelo – born Michael Archer – was a defining figure in neo-soul, celebrated for his Grammy-winning records, 2000’s Voodoo (which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200) and 2014’s Black Messiah, as well as his groundbreaking 1995 release, Brown Sugar, which set the standard for the genre. (Billboard)
