Renowned singer Roberta Flack has passed away at the age of 88, her representatives confirmed. The legendary R&B artist gained fame in the 1970s with her hit “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which became a defining song of her career.
She was also celebrated for “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” later reimagined by the Fugees in the 1990s with Lauryn Hill on vocals.
Flack’s illustrious career saw her collaborate with music icons such as Donny Hathaway, Leonard Cohen, and Burt Bacharach, producing numerous R&B and pop classics. Her final album, “Let It Be Roberta” (2012), featured covers of Beatles songs.
Born in North Carolina in 1937, Flack passed away on Monday, though the cause of death has not been disclosed.
In 2018, she had to leave the stage mid-performance at the Apollo Theater due to illness, later revealing she had suffered a stroke. In 2022, her representatives announced that she had been diagnosed with ALS.
