Roberta Flack: The "Killing Me Softly" singer has died at the age of 88

The R&B singer Roberta Flack (1937-2025) is dead. Flack, who became internationally known for the hit "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973), died today, Monday, at the age of 88. Her spokesman announced this in a statement quoted by several media outlets .

"We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025. She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud teacher," the statement said.

Roberta Flack was born in 1937 in the US state of North Carolina and studied music education. As a classically trained pianist, she performed frequently in Washington nightclubs. She had her breakthrough when actor Clint Eastwood (94) chose the ballad "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", which she recorded in 1969, for a film called "Sadistico" in 1971. The song became a number one hit and won the Grammy for "Single of the Year" in 1973. The following year, her most famous hit, a cover version of Lori Lieberman's "Killing Me Softly with His Song", also went to number one and won the same award. To this day, Roberta Flack is the only artist to have achieved this feat. She had a third number one hit in 1974 with "Feel Like Makin' Love".

In 2016, Flack suffered a stroke and officially announced in 2018 that she would no longer perform. In November 2022, she confirmed that she had ALS. An official cause of death was not announced.

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