ROBERTA Flack, the Grammy-winning singer known for her timeless hit Killing Me Softly With His Song, died on Monday at the age of 88, AFP reports. Her publicist announced her passing, stating that she died peacefully surrounded by her family, without citing a cause.
In recent years, Flack had lost her ability to sing after being diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2022. Despite her health struggles, her legacy as one of the most recognisable voices of the 1970s endures.
A pioneer of R&B and ‘scientific soul’
Born Roberta Cleopatra Flack on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, she grew up in a musically inclined family in Arlington, Virginia. She began playing piano at a young age, which earned her a music scholarship to Howard University at just 15 years old. According to AFP, Flack’s father found an old piano in a junkyard, restored it, and painted it green, igniting her passion for music.
Flack described her work as ‘scientific soul,’ a blend of meticulous practice and impeccable taste. She produced a series of R&B classics that contributed to the rise of the ‘quiet storm’ radio format of smooth, sensuous, slow jams, a style that heavily influenced R&B in the 1980s and 1990s.
The rise to stardom
Flack’s breakthrough came when jazz musician Les McCann discovered her performing at a club in Washington, DC She signed with Atlantic Records and began her recording career at the age of 32. Her career skyrocketed after Clint Eastwood featured her romantic ballad, The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, in the 1971 film Play Misty for Me.
The song earned her the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1972. Flack made history the following year by winning the same award for Killing Me Softly With His Song, becoming the first artist to achieve this feat two years in a row.
A remixed version of Killing Me Softly released in 1996 by the Fugees, featuring Lauryn Hill, brought Flack’s music to a new generation. The song topped charts worldwide and earned another Grammy Award, cementing her status as an enduring influence in the world of music.
A life of music and advocacy
Flack was more than a music icon; she was also a figure in the mid-20th century’s social movements. She was close to civil rights leaders such as Reverend Jesse Jackson and activist Angela Davis, and she performed at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball.
Flack spoke openly about her experiences growing up during a time when being Black was often seen as a negative. ‘I went through the civil rights movement. I learned that being Black was the most positive thing we could be,’ she once said.
Her music often carried messages of love and hope, and she saw her songs as a form of protest that expressed her deep belief in love’s transformative power. ‘I did a lot of songs that were considered protest songs,’ she said, ‘but I protested as a singer with a lot of love.’
Legacy and lifetime achievements
In 2020, the Recording Academy honoured Flack with a lifetime achievement award, recognising her indelible contributions to music. Her influence on pop, soul, and R&B remains profound, and her work continues to inspire artists and audiences around the world.
Her tender voice and artistry defined an era of music that will forever be remembered for its beauty and emotional power. As AFP notes, Flack’s music remains a testament to her enduring message of love and her pioneering role in shaping the sound of soul and R&B.
Flack’s legacy lives on through her timeless recordings, her contributions to social change, and her unwavering belief in the power of love expressed through music.
