R&B legend Roberta Flack, renowned for hits like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly With His Song, has passed away at 88.
“We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025,” her representatives announced, adding that she died peacefully surrounded by family. “Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.”
Flack revealed in 2022 that she had motor neurone disease, which had ended her ability to sing.
Born in North Carolina and raised in Arlington, Virginia, she began as a classical pianist and music teacher before being discovered by musician Les McCann while performing in a jazz club.
Her big break came in her 30s when her rendition of Ewan MacColl’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was featured in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 film Play Misty for Me, later winning a Grammy for song of the year. She earned a second consecutive Grammy for Killing Me Softly With His Song.
Following another chart-topping hit, Feel Like Makin’ Love in 1974, Flack stepped back from performing to focus on recording and philanthropy. Throughout her career, she collaborated with artists like Donny Hathaway and Miles Davis and released a Beatles tribute album in 2012.
In 2020, a year after suffering a stroke, Flack received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Reflecting on the honor, she said, “I’ve tried my entire career to tell stories through my music. This award is a validation that my peers heard my thoughts and took in what I have tried to give.”
