Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning soul and R&B vocalist known for hits like “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” has passed away at 88. Elaine Schock, Flack’s representative, confirmed the singer’s death was due to cardiac arrest, following her ALS diagnosis in 2022 which “made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak.” Flack’s big commercial breakthrough came when Clint Eastwood featured her rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” in his 1971 film, Play Misty for Me, leading the song – and Flack’s debut record, First Take – to reach Number One on Billboard’s album and singles charts. The tune would go on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973, and Flack and Donny Hathaway would also win a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo for their hit collaboration, “Where Is the Love” that same year.
Flack’s version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” hit No. 1 in 1973 and went on to win Record of the Year at the 1974 Grammys, as she became the first artist to win that category two years in a row. Flack was deeply involved in political movements throughout her life, and dedicated herself to music education with the establishment of the Roberta Flack School of Music. Flack won a total of four Grammys, and she received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, saying of the experience: “When I met those artists and so many others in person and heard from them that they were inspired by my music, I felt understood.” (Rolling Stone)