Tributes have flooded in for the R&B and soul singer D’Angelo, who has died aged 51 after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

In a statement, his family wrote that the star, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, left behind a legacy of extraordinarily moving music and asked fans to celebrate “the gift of song that he has left for the world.”

The influential singer was known for pioneering neo-soul, a genre blending R&B with other types of music, including hip-hop and jazz.

His three albums won four Grammy Awards. The music video for his hit song Untitled (How Does It Feel) became notorious for its smouldering, single-shot performance, where D’Angelo appeared to be performing naked.

The shining star of our family has dimmed his light for us in this life, his family said in a statement obtained by CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner.

Fellow musicians Beyoncé, Nile Rogers and Lauryn Hill were among those paying their respects.

Singer Beyoncé thanked D’Angelo for his music on her website. You were the pioneer of neo-soul, and that changed and transformed rhythm and blues forever, she wrote. We will never forget you.

Writing about his first meeting with D'Angelo, guitarist and producer Rogers recalled having encouraged the late star - who was then on the rise - to put out his material as it was perfect.

About a year later I heard one of those songs on the radio. It was genius and it was exactly what he had played for me, wrote Rogers. I know... I still have the original cassette.

Singer and rapper Hill, who worked with D'Angelo at the start of his career, shared a lengthier and personal reflection, saying his beauty and talent were not of this world.

She added, 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.

Rappers Doja Cat and Missy Elliot also paid their respects, as well as singers Jill Scott and Jennifer Hudson.

A true voice of soul and inspiration to many brilliant artists of our generation and generations to come, Doja Cat wrote on X.

Rest Peacefully D'Angelo, posted Elliot, who was becoming one of hip-hop's biggest around the same time as the soul singer's rise in the late 1990s.

Scott posted: I never met D'Angelo but I love him, respect him, admire his gift.

Hudson noted how we lost a true original today and added, D'Angelo, your voice will live on forever. Rest well, King!!!

Tyler the Creator said his musical DNA was shaped by D'Angelo and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to enjoy his art.

D’Angelo began his career as a songwriter and worked alongside big names in music like Lauryn Hill and The Roots. He rose to fame in the 1990s with his debut album Brown Sugar, and his song Lady reached the number 10 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1996.

That song earned him multiple Grammy nominations and secured his spot on the music scene.

Born in Richmond, Virginia, to a Pentecostal minister, D'Angelo taught himself to play piano from an early age and performed locally in groups during his adolescence.

At 18, he won the amateur talent competition at Harlem's Apollo Theater for three consecutive weeks and was signed to a publishing deal with EMI shortly after. He lived a tumultuous life marked by struggles with alcohol, yet his influence remained strong.

The Voodoo album released in 2000 topped the US charts and was listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest albums of all time. He was working on a fourth album with Raphael Saadiq at the time of his passing.

The music world will forever remember D’Angelo for transforming R&B and inspiring countless artists.