Legendary pop/R&B singer Roberta Flackwhich was launched to Stardom in the early 70’s of the Grammy-winning hits “The first time I saw your face” and “Kill me softly with her song”, has died, according to a statement from her rope. No cause of death was quoted; She was 88.
“We are heartbroken that the beautiful Roberta Flack died this morning, February 24, 2025,” reads the statement. “She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and discs. She was also a proud teacher. “
The classically trained singer pianist found only delaying fame when Clint Eastwood hired his 2-year version of “The first time I saw your face” in his 1971 “Play Misty for Me.”
The No. 1 Pop Smash was succeeded by a second chart toppare, 1973’s “Killing me softly.” Both performances were recognized in back-to-back years with Grammys as this year’s record-a performance that was not duplicated until U2 captured the same award 2001-02.
She reached her peak with 1974 Pop and R&B Smash “Where is the love”, which claimed the top of both charts.
Overall, Flack’s flexible, slow style style brought her six top-10 pop hits and 10 top-10 R&B singles, some of them in collaboration with singer Donny Hathaway.
Economically summary her appeal in “The Rough Guide to Soul and R&B”, wrote Peter Shapiro, “Urbane, Genteel and Jazzy, Roberta Flack was in many ways the perfect soul in the early 70’s. Her beautiful, sensual ballads appealed to Burt Bacharach/5th Dimension’s crowd, while her shimmering keyboard and flawless diction made her The poster to the Penthouse Soul audience. ”
Although her diagram promptly faded at the end of the 70s, Flack continued to record in the new millennium; Her last album, The Beatles Recital “Let It Be Roberta”, was released in 2012.
Born to a musical family in Black Mountain, NC, Flack was inspired as a girl by the gospel’s work by Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. He started studying piano at the age of 9; Something of a musical grandchild, she entered Howard University in Washington, DC, at 15 on a full scholarship.
Her research work was interrupted by her father’s death, and she taught school in North Carolina and District of Columbia. She also started working as a night spotist in DC; A fateful commitment to the club Mr. Henry’s participated by jazz pianist Les McCann, then a crossover star on Atlantic Records. McCann brought flat to the label, which signed her in 1968.
Released in 1969, her Joel Dorn-produced debut “First Take” did not get fire. But “the first time I saw your face” ballad composed by English Folksinger Ewan Maccoll and cut by American folk-pop act The Kingston Trio 1962-delivered popular Liftoff for Flack After Eastwood used it behind a love scene in his thriller ” playing foggy for me. ”
Flack had already received an R&B no. Five weeks. In January 1973, it gathered this year’s record.
Almost at the same time, “Where is the love”, Flack’s second mating with the similar dampened and sensual soul singer Hathaway, No. 1 on the R&B diagram and No. 5 on the pop list. The number was called the Best Pop Vocal Performance by a duo or group on ’73 Grammys and pressed LP “Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway” to No. 3 on the pop rolls.
Flack reached the height of her popularity among both the public and her comrades by “killing me softly.” The Annumer by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel were inspired by the number of singer Lori Lieberman’s reaction to a performance by the pop people Don McLean. Lieberman’s recording 1971 of the melody failed to map, but Flack quickly recorded it after hearing it during an airfly to New York.
Made of Dorn, Flack’s glossy version shot to No. 1 on the pop diagram and No. 2 on the R&B Diagrams in early 1973; The album “Killing me softly” topped No. 3 and went double platinum. The song was named a record for the year and best female pop song performance at Grammys ceremony in 1974 and was introduced in Grammy Hall of Fame 1999. Fugees’ 1996 cover, with singing by future Grammy winner Lauryn Hill, was also a No. 1 R&B -here.
Flack continued to log charts hits through the 70s and topped himself with the double-phased pop and R&B no 1-single “Feel like loving” in 1974. She also noted another top-top single, “The Closer I get to to the get to to you, ”with Hathaway 1978.
But that the team was tragically Sundayed by Hathaway’s suicide in January 1979; The duet “Back Together”, issued posthumously in 1980, reached No. 8. Her subsequent mating with singer Peebo Bryson gave an R&B no. 5, “Tonight, in Celebrate My Love”, 1983.
Flack’s adult contemporary oriented sounds have subsided in popularity in the late 70’s, as listeners are increasingly forced to the harsher sounds of funk, rap and hip hop. Her last top-10 album, “Blue Lights in the basement” (No. 8), was issued in 1978. Her last big pop singles were Burt Bacharach-Penned Film Theme “Making Love” (no. 13, 1982) and “Set the night to Music “, a duet with reggae singer Maxi Priest (no. 6, 1991).
Nominated a total of 13 times, she got her last Grammy -Nick in 1995, for best traditional pop singing performance, for “Roberta”, where she essaces the usual songbook.
Flack, who was separated from Stephen Novosel in 1972, was survived by his son, musician Bernard Wright.
