Remembering Roberta Flack (1937-2025)
By • February 27, 2025 0 286
R&B and pop singer Roberta Flack rose to fame in the early 1970s with hits like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and the iconic “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” She passed away Monday, February 24 at the age of 88, peacefully and surrounded by friends and family. The latest few years rendered her unable to sing due to an ALS diagnosis. ALS, a progressive disease, affects the brain and spinal cord.
Flack didn’t let her illness stop her though, having released a children’s book called “The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music” two years ago.
In her early years, Flack had connections to the D.C. area. She was born in Black Mountain, N.C. and began learning piano at age 9. Six years later, the musical prodigy Flack began studying at Howard University at age 15 on a full scholarship. At Howard, Flack teamed up with the late, great Donny Hathaway. Flack’s first album included a song written by Hathaway. Some may even remember her duet with Hathaway, 1972’s “Where is the Love.”
Unfortunately, her graduate work was never completed due to the death of her father, so she ended up taking teaching jobs in D.C. and North Carolina. She also sang at D.C.’s historic jazz club Mr. Henry’s (who had a Georgetown location years ago!). According to the Georgetown Metropolitan, Flack was drawing such a crowd at a K Street nightclub that Henry Yaffe brought her to the Georgetown Mr. Henry’s. He later opened a room for her at his Capitol Hill location. It was there she met Les McCann, who was signed at Atlantic Records. He saw how talented Flack was, so he brought her to the attention of the label, who signed her in 1968. Five years later, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” was released, skyrocketing Flack to superstardom.
Before “Killing Me Softly…” though was her first number one pop hit in 1972, “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face.” It was already two years old that that point, but director Clint Eastwood used it in his 1971 movie “Play Misty for Me,” which ultimately resulted in a Record of the Year Grammy for Flack for the song.
Flack was a four-time Grammy Award winner and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
Another testament to her talent was the fact that her music transcended generations. While my father played Flack’s music when I was growing up, I was introduced to The Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly,” which was released in 1996. The Fugees’ Lauryn Hill posted a tribute to Flack after her death, calling the singer “cool and intelligent, gentle yet militant” and many of Flack’s songs fascinated her with their beauty and sophistication.
