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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Tuesday 25 February 2025
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning ‘Killing Me Softly’ singer with an

intimate style, dies at 88

By HILLEL ITALIE tain, North Carolina, and
AP National Writer raised in Arlington, Virgin-
NEW YORK (AP) — Roberta ia. After graduating from
Flack, the Grammy-winning Howard, she taught mu-
singer and pianist whose sic in D.C.-area junior high
intimate vocal and musi- schools for several years in
cal style made her one of her 20s, while performing
the top recordings artists of after hours in clubs.
the 1970s and an influential She sometimes backed
performer long after, died other singers, but her own
Monday. She was 88. shows at Washington’s re-
She died at home sur- nowned Mr. Henry’s at-
rounded by her family, tracted such celebrity pa-
publicist Elaine Schock said trons as Burt Bacharach,
in a statement. Flack an- Ramsey Lewis and Johnny
nounced in 2022 she had Mathis. The club’s owner,
ALS, commonly known as Henry Yaffe, converted an
Lou Gehrig’s disease, and apartment directly above
could no longer sing, into a private studio, the
Little known before her Roberta Flack Room.
early 30s, Flack became “I wanted to be success-
an overnight star after ful, a serious all-round mu-
Clint Eastwood used “The sician,” she told The Tele-
First Time Ever I Saw Your graph in 2015. “I listened to
Face” as the soundtrack a lot of Aretha, the Drifters,
for one of cinema’s more Singer Roberta Flack poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 10, 2018. trying to do some of that
memorable and explicit Associated Press myself, playing, teaching.”
love scenes, between the Flack was signed to Atlan-
actor and Donna Mills in measured and reflective “We were deeply connect- music we understand what tic Records and her debut
his 1971 film “Play Misty for approach, as if curating a ed creatively,” Flack told we are thinking and feel- album, “First Take,” a blend
Me.” The hushed, hymn-like song word by word. Vibe in 2022, upon the 50th ing. No matter what chal- of gospel, soul, flamenco
ballad, with Flack’s grace- For Flack’s many admirers, anniversary of the million- lenge life presents, I am at and jazz, came out in 1969.
ful soprano afloat on a bed she was a sophisticated selling “Roberta Flack and home with my piano, on a One track was a love song
of soft strings and piano, and bold new presence Donny Hathaway” album. stage, with my band, in the by the English folk artist
topped the Billboard pop in the music world and in “He could play anything, studio, listening to music. Ewan MacColl: “The First
chart in 1972 and received the social and civil rights sing anything. Our musical I can find my way when I Time Ever I Saw Your Face,”
a Grammy for record of the movements of the time, her synergy was unlike (any- hear music.” written in 1957 for his future
year. friends including the Rev. thing) I’d had before or In 2022, Beyoncé placed wife, singer Peggy Seeger.
“The record label wanted Jesse Jackson and Angela since.” Flack, Franklin and Diana Flack not only knew of the
to have it re-recorded with Davis, whom Flack visited She never matched her Ross among others in a ballad, but used it while
a faster tempo, but he said in prison while Davis faced first run of success, al- special pantheon of hero- working with a glee club
he wanted it exactly as it charges for which she was though she did have a hit ines name-checked in during her years as an edu-
was,” Flack told The Asso- acquitted for murder and in the 1980s with the Peabo the Grammy-nominated cator.
ciated Press in 2018. “With kidnapping. Flack sang at Bryson duet “Tonight, I Cel- “Queens Remix” of “Break “I was teaching at Bannek-
the song as a theme song the funeral of Jackie Rob- ebrate My Love” and in the My Soul.” er Junior High in Washing-
for his movie, it gained a lot inson, major league base- 1990s with the Maxi Priest Flack was briefly married to ton, D.C. It was part of the
of popularity and then took ball’s first Black player, duet “Set the Night to Mu- Stephen Novosel, an inter- city where kids weren’t that
off.” and was among the many sic.” In the mid-90s, Flack racial relationship that led privileged, but they were
In 1973, she matched both guest performers on the received new attention to tension with each of their privileged enough to have
achievements with “Killing feminist children’s enter- after the Fugees recorded families, and earlier had a music education. I really
Me Softly With His Song,” tainment project created a Grammy-winning cover son, the singer and key- wanted them to read mu-
becoming the first artist to by Marlo Thomas, “Free to of “Killing Me Softly,” which boardist Bernard Wright. For sic. First, I’d get their atten-
win consecutive Grammys Be ... You and Me.” she eventually performed years, she lived in Manhat- tion. (Flack starts singing a
for best record. Flack’s other hits from the on stage with the hip-hop tan’s Dakota apartment Supremes hit) ‘Stop, in the
A classically trained pia- 1970s included the cozy group. building, on the same floor name of love.’ Then I could
nist so gifted she received “Feel Like Makin’ Love” Overall, she won five Gram- as John Lennon and Yoko teach them!” she told the
a full scholarship at age and two duets with her mys (three for “Killing Me Ono, who became a close Tampa Bay Times in 2012.
15 to Howard, the histori- close friend and former Softly”), was nominated friend and provided liner “You have to do all sorts of
cally Black university, Flack Howard classmate Donny eight other times and was notes for a Flack album of things when you’re dealing
was discovered in the late Hathaway, “Where Is the given a lifetime achieve- Beatles covers, “Let It Be with kids in the inner-city,”
1960s by jazz musician Les Love” and “The Closer I Get ment Grammy in 2020, Roberta.” She also devot- she said.
McCann, who later wrote to You” a partnership that with John Legend and Ari- ed extensive time to the “I knew they’d like the part
that “her voice touched, ended in tragedy. In 1979, ana Grande among those Roberta Flack School of where (‘The First Time Ever I
tapped, trapped, and she and Hathaway were praising her. Music, based in New York Saw Your Face’) goes ‘The
kicked every emotion I’ve working on an album of “I love that connection to and attended mostly by first time ever I kissed your
ever known.” Flack was duets when he suffered a other artists because we students between ages 6 mouth.’ Ooh, ‘Kissed your
versatile enough to sum- breakdown during record- understand music, we live to 14. mouth!’ Once the kids got
mon the up-tempo gospel ing and later that night fell music, it’s our language,” Roberta Cleopatra Flack, past the giggles, we were
passion of Aretha Franklin, to his death from his hotel Flack told songwriteruni- the daughter of musicians, good.”q
but she favored a more room in Manhattan. verse.com in 2020. “Through was born in Black Moun-