Roberta Flack’s Childhood

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born to Veterans Administration draftsman Laron and church organist Irene Flack on Feb. 10, 1937, in Farmville, North Carolina. She began playing the piano at age 9 and later attended Howard University at only 15 years old with a full music scholarship.

Roberta Flack’s Early Career

After jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann heard Flack play in a Washington, D.C., nightclub in 1968, he arranged an audition for her with Atlantic Records. The following year, she recorded her debut studio album First Take.

Roberta Flack Wins a Grammy

Although First Take didn’t find immediate commercial success, Clint Eastwood heard “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” two years later and featured it in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me. The recording’s prominent role in the film’s soundtrack catapulted it to No. 1 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

“The First Time Ever” won Flack her first Grammy in 1973 for record of the year.

“Through the years, I’ve sung that song thousands of times, and it has taken on different stories in my life, [but] honestly, at the time it was recorded, I sang it about my cat who had just died,” Flack told PEOPLE of the song. “I loved that cat so much. That’s the story I was telling in the recording.”

Two More No. 1s

Flack went on to earn two more No. 1 hits with a recording of “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” The former song won her another record of the year at the 1975 Grammys, making her the first artist to win the category in consecutive years.

In a 2020 interview with Songwriter Universe, Flack recalled how she played the song as an encore at Marvin Gaye’s concert, and the legendary singer-songwriter told her, “Baby, don’t ever do that again live until you record it.”

Continued Success Through the ’80s and ’90s

She continued to be a mainstay on music charts over the next two decades. In 1982, she had another top 20 hit with a rendition of Burt Bacharach’s “Making Love,” and the title track of her 1988 album Oasis reached No. 1 on the R&B chart.

The ’90s saw Flack return to the top 10 with the Diane Warren-written “Set the Night to Music,” which she sang as a duet with reggae vocalist Maxi Priest.

Roberta Flack’s Last Recordings

Flack released her final album in 2012, titled Let It Be Roberta, which consisted of 12 Beatles covers, including “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be.”

“There’s a lot of great music in the world, and The Beatles are certainly responsible for a whole bunch of it,” Flack told NPR. “I love the stories the songs tell. I love the simplicity — the fact that they’re so accessible. When I got ready to do this album, I had to smack my hand and say, ‘Keep going!’ I just got so involved.”

The singer lived next to John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the New York City apartment building The Dakota, and she developed a lasting friendship with the musicians and their son, Sean Ono Lennon.

Roberta Flack’s ALS Diagnosis

In 2022, a spokesperson for Flack confirmed to PEOPLE that the singer was diagnosed with ALS. A press release said that the illness had “made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak.”

However, the statement clarified that “it will take more than ALS to silence this icon” and Flack intended to “stay active in her musical and creative pursuits.”

“Her fortitude and joyful embrace of music that lifted her from modest circumstances to the international spotlight remain vibrant and inspired,” the press release concluded.

Roberta Flack Dies at 88

The Grammy-winning musician died on Feb. 24, 2025, two weeks after her 88th birthday.

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