(Read more Musicians who died in 2025)
One of the 1970’s greatest voices of soul, jazz and folk, Roberta Flack has passed away at the age of 88, due to suffering cardiac arrest on the way to a Manhattan NYC hospital, as confirmed by her manager and friend, Suzanne Koga. Flack had recently revealed in 2022 as having been diagnosed with ALS (aka amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / Lou Gehrig’s disease), which forced her retirement, leaving her unable to perform.
Flack helped popularize the so-called ”quiet storm” R&B sound of the day, a smooth blend that catered to, and was created by mature adults, played elegantly and romantically.
She also was the first artist in music history to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year consecutively with her two biggest hits- in 1973 for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and the following year for "Killing Me Softly with His Song" a song which would have an even bigger life two decades later with The Fugees’ version).
Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born in rural Black Mountain, NC on Feb 10, 1937, to a VA draftsman and high school cook/church organist set of parents as the second oldest of five siblings, growing up in nearby Arlington, VA. She took an early interest in playing piano, which would lead her to a full scholarship at Howard University.
Advised against playing classical music professionally, she pivoted to a teaching career while initially pursuing a Masters in Music Education, but dropped out after the sudden death of her father and the need to find work.
While teaching Junior High and private piano lessons, Flack also began gigging on evenings and weekends, playing clubs, and even backing up opera singers. Jazz great Les McCann caught her performing in a Washington DC club and arranged an audition with Atlantic Records, which resulted in her signing with the label, and subsequent debut album, “First Take” in 1969.
By 1972, Flack began working with Donnie Hathaway, had her version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” featured in Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut film, “Play Misty for Me” and was playing venues as large as Yankee Stadium.
Solo singles and duets with Hathaway continued through the ‘70’s and there were more hits in the ‘80’s, working with the likes of Burt Bacharach and Peabo Bryson. Flack lived next to John and Yoko at The Dakota in NYC and was even the voice of Michael Jackson’s mother in his 18min. promo film for “Bad.”
Her blending of styles and her own influences- the church, the social and political climate of the day and upbringing and backstory, emoted in an often-hushed vocal and tender delivery, would go on to greatly influence those who followed after, like Alicia Keys, Anita Baker, and numerous others.
Accolades for Flack included four Grammy Awards from thirteen nominations, being one of the first inductees into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, a 2017 honorary doctorate from Long Island University, and 2023 honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music, and 2018 lifetime achievement award from the Jazz Foundation of America, among numerous others.
Flack left no immediate survivors, having been divorced twice previous, and was without children.
| John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
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