Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of hit 'Killing Me Softly,' dies at 88

Between her smoky voice and cooing ballads, Roberta Flack distinguished herself as a soulful standout.

The singer died Monday. She was 88. A statement from her representative noted that Flack "died peacefully, surrounded by her family."

No cause of death was provided for Flack, a staple on the R&B and adult contemporary charts throughout the '70s and '80s. But in November 2022, the singer announced that she suffered from ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, which prevented her from singing and made even speaking difficult. She retired from singing professionally until her death.

In a career lauded with four Grammy Awards – as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020 – Flack is regarded for a singing style polished in Washington D.C. nightclubs in the 1960s and piano skills honed from childhood.

Flack achieved a three-year stretch of hits in the 1970s with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1972), "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973) and "Feel Like Makin' Love" (1974). In the 1980s, she charted again with "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love," her lush duet with Peabo Bryson. She returned to radio heights in 1991 with Maxi Priest on the woozily seductive, "Set the Night to Music."

Her debut album, 1969's "First Take," is regarded as a classic, landing at No. 451 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. But it took three years for the record to break, which happened after "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was used in a love scene in the Clint Eastwood movie, "Play Misty for Me."

Flack was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, in 1937, but grew up in Arlington, Virginia, where she played piano and sang in the choir at Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Her classical piano skills were so adept that she received a full music scholarship to Howard University in Washington, D.C., where, at 15, she became one of the youngest students to ever enroll there and eventually met Hathaway.

After graduating from Howard University at 19, Flack realigned her musical talents to teaching music and English.

While days were spent instructing junior high school students in the Washington area, Flack's nights coalesced around her budding music career. She turned professional after being hired as a regular performer at Mr. Henry's Restaurant on Capitol Hill. After famed jazz singer Les McCann noticed her singing and playing jazz in a Washington nightclub, he brought her to the attention of Atlantic Records, where she released 13 albums between 1969 and 1994.

Flack's last album came in 2012, "Let it Be: Roberta," a collection of a dozen covers of songs by The Beatles, including "In My Life" and "The Long and Winding Road."

A documentary about the singer, "Roberta," was released in 2022, which also explored her lifelong commitment to civil rights. (Source: USA Today)