Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning icon known for her timeless hit “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
Her publicist confirmed her death but did not disclose a cause.
Flack, a pivotal figure in pop and R&B, had battled ALS—also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—since her diagnosis in 2022, which had robbed her of the ability to sing in her later years.
According to the statement from her publicist, she “died peacefully surrounded by her family.”
Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, she grew up in Arlington, Virginia, in a musically inclined family with deep gospel roots.
Her talent for piano earned her a scholarship to Washington’s Howard University at just 15 years old.
Recalling her early musical journey in a 2021 interview with Forbes, Flack shared how her father restored an old piano from a junkyard, painting it green—her very first instrument of inspiration.
Flack’s career took off after she was discovered playing in Washington D.C. clubs by jazz musician Les McCann.
She signed with Atlantic Records at 32, a relatively late start, but her breakthrough came when Clint Eastwood featured her song “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me.
The track won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1972. She repeated the feat the following year with “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” making history as the first artist to win the award in consecutive years.
A classically trained musician with a delicate yet powerful voice, Flack described her style as “scientific soul.”
Her work played a significant role in the emergence of the “quiet storm” radio format—a smooth, sensuous style of R&B that heavily influenced the genre through the 1980s and 1990s.
Flack’s legacy was further cemented when the Fugees, led by Lauryn Hill, released a remixed version of “Killing Me Softly” in 1996.
The track became a global sensation and brought renewed attention to her artistry, winning another Grammy.
Throughout her career, Flack used her platform for social activism. She was friends with civil rights leaders like Reverend Jesse Jackson and activist Angela Davis, and she performed at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, Major League Baseball’s first Black player.
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Reflecting on her upbringing and the civil rights movement, Flack once said, “I did a lot of songs that were considered protest songs, a lot of folk music, but I protested as a singer with a lot of love.”
In 2020, the Recording Academy honored Flack with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her enduring influence on the music industry.
Roberta Flack’s impact on music and culture spans generations. Her soul-stirring voice and poetic storytelling captured the hearts of millions.
As tributes pour in from fans and fellow artists worldwide, her legacy will continue to live on through the music she left behind.