Roberta Flack, the iconic voice behind timeless ballads such as “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” has died at the age of 88. The Grammy Award-winning singer passed away peacefully on Monday, February 24, 2025, surrounded by her family. Flack’s representatives confirmed her death, noting that she had been battling health issues, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which she was diagnosed with in 2022 and which had taken away her ability to sing. Her unique blend of soul, jazz, rock, and pop made her one of the most significant vocalists of the 1970s and beyond. In a statement, her representatives said, “We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025”. They further acknowledged her barrier-breaking career and her dedication to education.

Classically trained, Flack earned a scholarship to Howard University at the young age of 15 with aspirations of becoming a concert pianist. Though she was discouraged from pursuing classical music due to the racial barriers of the time, she went on to teach in schools while performing in clubs. These performances eventually led to a contract with Atlantic Records, and she released her first album, “First Take,” in 1969. While “First Take” found commercial success, Flack credited her appearance on “The Third Bill Cosby Special” in 1970 as her big break. Her rendition of Ewan MacColl’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” gained widespread recognition after being featured in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 film “Play Misty For Me,” ultimately earning her a Grammy Award.

Flack’s success continued throughout the 1970s with albums like “Chapter Two,” “Quiet Fire,” and “Killing Me Softly”. She secured another Grammy for Record of the Year in 1974 for “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” making her the first solo artist to win the award in consecutive years. Beyond her own recordings, Flack collaborated with other artists, including Donny Hathaway and Miles Davis. The Reverend Jesse Jackson described her as “socially relevant and politically unafraid,” while NPR credited her as one of the “prime revisionists of the American songbook”. Questlove, drummer for The Roots, honored Flack, writing, “Thank You Roberta Flack. Rest In Melody”.

In later years, Flack diversified her career, venturing into film and television scoring, music publishing, and production, and also pursuing graduate studies. She made a comeback in 1977 with “Blue Lights in the Basement” and continued to release albums in the decades that followed. Despite health challenges, including a stroke in 2019 and her ALS diagnosis in 2022, Flack remained an influential figure. In 2020, she received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys. Flack was also a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition and a spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Norman Gimbel was the lyricist of “Killing Me Softly”.