Renowned Grammy-winning soul singer Roberta Flack has passed away at the age of 88, as confirmed by a statement from her publicist.
Flack passed away on Monday at her home, surrounded by her loved ones, after battling health issues in recent years. In late 2022, it was publicly disclosed that she had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease that ultimately prevented her from singing, according to her representatives.
Though her final years were marked by health struggles, Flack’s legacy was already firmly established. Her career spanned decades, during which she earned 14 Grammy nominations and won five awards, including a lifetime achievement honor in 2020 and multiple Record of the Year accolades.
Born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Flack’s musical journey began early. She started playing the piano at age 9 and went on to earn a scholarship to Howard University, where she graduated in 1958 with a degree in music education. Initially interested in classical music, Flack faced challenges within the genre due to her race and gender. She once told TIME, “One of the hassles of being a Black female musician is that people are always backing you into a corner and telling you to sing soul.”
Encouraged by a voice teacher to pursue pop music, she began performing in local DC clubs, eventually catching the attention of jazz musician Les McCann. He helped her secure an audition with Atlantic Records, where she sang over 40 songs for the label. Her debut album, First Take, released in 1969, included the iconic track “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which gained widespread attention after Clint Eastwood featured it in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973.
Flack’s career flourished as she continued to release hit albums such as Chapter Two and Quiet Fire and formed a close partnership with Donny Hathaway. Their duet “Where Is the Love” won them a Grammy in 1973. In the same year, Flack released Killing Me Softly, which included the unforgettable hit of the same name. The song dominated the charts and earned her two more Grammys, including Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a female artist.
Throughout her career, Flack was known for her versatility, interpreting songs from artists like Leonard Cohen and The Beatles. By her fifth solo album, Feel Like Makin’ Love, she took on the role of producer, often using the name Rubina Flake. Alongside love songs, she also used her music to address serious societal issues, including racial injustice, poverty, and LGBTQ rights.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson once described her as “socially relevant and politically unafraid.” Flack herself expressed her sorrow that the social issues she addressed in her music decades earlier, such as civil rights and poverty, were still present in the world.
In 2020, after surviving a stroke, Flack was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys, a recognition she called “tremendous and overwhelming,” noting that her music had always aimed to tell stories and that receiving the award validated her artistic efforts.
Indeed, Roberta’s music, a precise blend of emotion and artistry, will forever echo in the hearts of listeners. Her timeless songs, especially “Killing Me Softly,” were embraced by new generations when Lauryn Hill’s group The Fugees covered the track, winning a Grammy and performing it with Flack on stage.
