Roberta Flack of 'Killing Me Softly' fame dies
NEW YORK
Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer behind the classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and one of the most recognizable voices of the 1970s, died on Feb. 24. at age 88.
The influential pop and R&B star in recent years had lost her ability to sing because of ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2022.
"She died peacefully surrounded by her family," the statement from the publicist said.
The classically trained musician with a tender voice produced a number of early classics of rhythm and blues that she frequently described as "scientific soul," timeless works that blended meticulous practice with impeccable taste.
Her work was key to the "quiet storm" radio form of smooth, sensuous, slow jams that popularized R&B and influenced its later aesthetics in the 1980s and 1990s.
Flack signed at Atlantic Records, launching a recording career at the relatively late age of 32.
But her magnetic star grew overnight after Clint Eastwood used her romantic ballad "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" on the soundtrack of his 1971 movie "Play Misty for Me."
The song earned her the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1972, a prize which she took home at the following ceremony as well for "Killing Me Softly With His Song," thus becoming the first artist ever to win the honor two years in a row.
A remixed rendition of "Killing Me Softly" was released in 1996 by the Fugees, with Lauryn Hill on lead vocals, bringing Flack a resurgence as it soared to top charts worldwide and scored another Grammy.
Flack also won a lifetime achievement honor from the Recording Academy in 2020.
