Overview

• His family issued a communiqué on October 14 confirming his death at 51 and requesting privacy while inviting fans to honor his music.
• Multiple outlets reported pancreatic cancer as the cause and said he died in New York, details the family kept out of public view for months.
• He reshaped modern R&B with three landmark albums—Brown Sugar, Voodoo and Black Messiah—and earned four Grammy Awards.
• Reports from his former manager Kedar Massenburg and close sources indicate he had been working on a new album before his death.
• Peers and fans paid tribute on social media, with producer DJ Premier among those sharing memories and condolences.