Roberta Flack, 'Killing Me Softly' singer, dies at 88 two years after announcing ALS diagnosis

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Roberta Flack has died at the age of 88 in Manhattan after suffering a heart attack.

Representatives of the R&B and soul singer known for her breathtaking ballads, confirmed her death in a statement on Monday, February 24, 2025, according to Variety.

Roberta Flack's ALS diagnosis

The official cause of Roberta Flack's death has not yet been revealed.

“We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning,” read the statement released by her representatives.

“She died peacefully, surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator,” added the statement.

Flack’s friend and manager, Suzzanne Koga, told The New York Times that the singer suffered a cardiac arrest on her way to the hospital.

In 2022, Flack announced her ALS diagnosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which had left her unable to sing.

Inside Roberta Flack's rise to fame

Roberta Flack rose to fame in the 1970s, cementing her place in music history with 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face', which Clint Eastwood featured in his 1971 film 'Play Misty for Me'.

The song became a Billboard No 1 hit in 1972 and won a Grammy for Record of the Year.

In 1973, she achieved the same Grammy success with 'Killing Me Softly With His Song', making her the first artist to win Record of the Year in consecutive years.

Other notable hits from her catalog include 'Feel Like Makin’ Love' and her collaborations with close friend and Howard University classmate Donny Hathaway, such as 'Where Is the Love and The Closer I Get to You'.

Tragically, Flack and Hathaway’s musical partnership ended in 1979 when Hathaway suffered a breakdown and fell to his death from a Manhattan hotel window.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Flack continued making music, later scoring 1980s hits like 'Tonight', 'I Celebrate My Love with Peabo Bryson', and 'Set the Night to Music with Maxi Priest' in the 1990s.

Roberta Flack's legacy

Roberta Flack’s influence reached a new generation when the Fugees covered 'Killing Me Softly' in the mid-1990s, earning a Grammy and later performing the song alongside Flack.

Throughout her career, Flack won five Grammys, was nominated eight additional times, and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2020.

Fellow artists such as John Legend and Ariana Grande have credited her with shaping the sound of contemporary R&B and soul.

“I love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it’s our language,” Flack said in a 2020 interview.

“Through music, we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music,” she shared.