Rough week in music, as both D'Angelo and Ace Frehley have passed away.
D'Angelo was born February 11th, 1974 in Richmond, VA. Over the years, he was a member of the supergroup Black Men United (which included Usher, Brian McKnight, R-Kelly, and Boyz II Men) and collaborated with Lauryn Hill, Eryka Badu, and Angie Stone, in addition to releasing his own music. D'Angelo lived with depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism in the early 2000s, which in turn limited his output. Despite his struggles, his debut album Brown Sugar was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, received acclaim from music critics, and is credited as ushering in the neo-soul movement. On June 9th, 2012, he joined Questlove for the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival's Superjam. It marked the first time in nearly 12 years that he performed on a U.S. Stage, though he did not perform his own material. On September 1st, 2012, he also performed at Jay-Z's Made in America Festival. D'Angelo passed away, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, in New York City on October 14th, 2025.
If you are struggling in similar ways to D'Angelo, the CDC has a wide variety of mental health resources. The Quincy Public Library also has crisis binders placed throughout the building, filled with local resources to help with whatever situation you find yourself.
Ace Frehley was born April 27th, 1951 in New York City. He was a founding member of the band KISS and the original lead guitarist. Frehley's persona within KISS was The Spaceman (otherwise known as Space Ace) and he played with the group from its creation in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving KISS, he formed his own band called Frehley's Comet which released two albums. Frehley also had a solo career. He rejoined KISS in 1996 for a reunion tour. His second tenure in KISS lasted until 2002, when he left at the conclusion of what was originally reported to be a farewell tour for KISS. In September 2025, Frehley fell in his home studio and as a result, cancelled upcoming tour dates. The fall caused his brain to bleed and his health failed to improve. On October 16th, 2025, Ace Frehley passed away.
There are D'Angelo CDs and KISS CDs on site at the Quincy Public Library. There is also music that can be downloaded via Freegal, as well as a limited amount of music on Hoopla, all accessible with your library card.