Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning vocalist known for soul-stirring hits like "Killing Me Softly With His Song," passed away peacefully on February 24, 2025, at age 88, surrounded by family.

Photo Credit: Roberta Flack by annulla / CC by 2.0

A musical prodigy, Flack earned a scholarship to Howard University at just 15. Her breakthrough came after jazz musician Les McCann discovered her performing at a Washington D.C. nightclub, leading to her signing with Atlantic Records.

Her 1969 debut album "First Take" featured "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 and earned two Grammy Awards. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Flack continued releasing hits including "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song," the latter experiencing a revival through the Fugees' 1996 cover.

Notable achievements include:

• Multiple Grammy Awards
• Hollywood Walk of Fame star (1999)
• Performed for Nelson Mandela in South Africa
• Founded the Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx

Despite health challenges, including a 2016 stroke and a 2022 ALS diagnosis that ended her singing career, Flack remained active in music education and philanthropy until her final years.

Artists including Jennifer Hudson and Carole King paid tribute to Flack's legacy, celebrating her contribution to soul music and her powerful, emotion-filled voice that, as Les McCann once said, "touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known."

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