Legendary musician Roberta Flack, a chart-topping force in ’70s pop and R&B, known for soulful hits like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” has died at 88.
According to her representative, the Grammy Award-winning artist passed away on Monday and while no cause of death was revealed, Flack had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, since her diagnosis in August 2022.
“We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator,” they wrote in a statement.
Along with the news of her ALS diagnosis in 2022, Flack’s team shared that the singer’s symptoms “made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak.”
“It will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon,” they said at the time, hoping for the best.
Despite her diagnosis, Flack remained active in her creative pursuits, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of her album, “Killing Me Softly” in 2023.
The decorated songstress’ humble origins began in North Carolina where she was influenced by her musical family and the gospel music of artists like Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. By 15, Flack had attended Howard University on a music scholarship, focusing on her instruments of choice: piano and voice. Her education was halted by her father’s death, leading the musician to teach school in her home state and Washington D.C, but that didn’t stop Flack from working as a nightspot performer at a club.
Atlantic Records signed Flack in 1968 after jazz pianist, Les McCann, introduced her to the label. However, her career didn’t take flight until Clint Eastwood used a two-year-old cover of the song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his 1971 directorial debut, “Play Misty for Me.” The singer garnered her first No. 1 hit with the track, pushing her debut album, “First Take,” to the top slot for five weeks and, in 1973, winning Record of the Year for it at the Grammys.
But it wasn’t until “Killing Me Softly” that Flack would reach superstardom. The song went to No. 1 on the pop charts, earning the artist’s album No. 3 on the charts and a double platinum record. At the 1974 Grammys, “Killing Me Softly” won Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, cementing Flack as the first person to win Record of the Year back to back.
In 1996, “Killing Me Softly” was covered by the hip-hop trio, The Fugees, with vocals by future Grammy winner, Lauryn Hill. At the 1999 MTV Movie Awards, Flack appeared on stage with the group to perform the song live.
Throughout her career, Flack won five Grammys and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 in recognition of her musical achievements.
Flack’s music has been a staple in Black culture and film, especially in the 1995 Forest Whitaker classic, “Waiting to Exhale.” Featuring stars Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, the best friends jam out to Flack’s deep cut, “It Might Be You,” with Houston’s voice at the forefront.
After news spread of Flack’s death on Monday, her peers within the music industry flooded social media with remembrances.
“Rest in peace to Howard graduate, classically trained pianist, songwriter, singer, & the first artist to ever win a Grammy for Record of the Year in two consecutive years, Miss Roberta Flack. Her & her fellow songwriter Donny Hathaway are now reunited,” Queen Latifah shared in a video of Flack singing “The First Time.”
Latifah also urged people to watch Flack’s 2023 PBS documentary, “Roberta,” which gives audiences a glimpse into her “artistry, life and triumphs over racism and sexism within and outside of the recording industry.”
EGOT winner, Jennifer Hudson memorialized Flack in a post to X, writing, “So sad to hear of Roberta Flack’s passing. One of the great soul singers of all time. Rest well, Ms. Flack. Your legacy lives on!!!”
“Roberta Flack was a very close family friend and neighbor. She was an incredibly kind woman. Uniquely talented. I am eternally grateful to have known her. I’m heartbroken she had to leave this earth. Will always love you,” writes Sean Ono Lennon.
His brother, Julian Lennon, also shared the Lennon family’s close ties to Flack, writing, “Roberta Flack was a neighbor of Dad’s in New York City, and a dear friend of our family. Very sad to hear of her passing. Deepest condolences to all who loved her.”
“What a powerful, synchronized, beautiful instrument you were…Thank you, #RobertaFlack,” Bernice King posted to X.
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