Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88.
She died at home surrounded by her family, publicist Elaine Schock said in a statement. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig鈥檚 disease, and could no longer sing,
Little known before her early 30s, Flack became an overnight star after Clint Eastwood used 鈥淭he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face鈥� as the soundtrack for one of cinema鈥檚 more memorable and explicit love scenes, between the actor and Donna Mills in his 1971 film 鈥淧lay Misty for Me.鈥� The hushed, hymn-like ballad, with Flack鈥檚 graceful soprano afloat on a bed of soft strings and piano, topped the Billboard pop chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for record of the year.
鈥淭he record label wanted to have it re-recorded with a faster tempo, but he said he wanted it exactly as it was,鈥� Flack told The Associated Press in 2018. 鈥淲ith the song as a theme song for his movie, it gained a lot of popularity and then took off.鈥�
In 1973, she matched both achievements with 鈥淜illing Me Softly With His Song,鈥� becoming the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for best record.
A classically trained pianist and who at age 15 received a full scholarship to Howard, the historically Black university, Flack was discovered in the late 1960s by jazz musician Les McCann, who later wrote that 鈥渉er voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I鈥檝e ever known.鈥� Although versatile enough to summon the up-tempo gospel passion of Aretha Franklin, Flack often favored a more reflective and measured approach, as if curating a song word by word.
For Flack鈥檚 many admirers, she was a sophisticated and bold new presence in the music world and in the social and civil rights movements of the time, her friends including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Angela Davis, whom Flack visited in prison while Davis faced charges 鈥� for which she was acquitted 鈥� for murder and kidnapping. Flack sang at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, major league baseball鈥檚 first Black player, and was among the many guest performers on the feminist children鈥檚 entertainment project created by Marlo Thomas, 鈥淔ree to Be 鈥� You and Me.鈥�
Flack鈥檚 other hits from the 1970s included the cozy 鈥淔eel Like Makin鈥� Love鈥� and two duets with her close friend and former Howard classmate Donny Hathaway, 鈥淲here Is the Love鈥� and 鈥漈he Closer I Get to You鈥� 鈥� a partnership that ended in tragedy. In 1979, she and Hathaway were working on an album of duets when he suffered a breakdown during recording and later that night fell to his death from his hotel room in Manhattan.
鈥淲e were deeply connected creatively,鈥� Flack told Vibe in 2022, upon the 50th anniversary of the million-selling 鈥淩oberta Flack and Donny Hathaway鈥� album. 鈥淗e could play anything, sing anything. Our musical synergy was unlike (anything) I鈥檇 had before or since.鈥�
She never matched her first run of success, although she did have a hit in the 1980s with the Peabo Bryson duet 鈥淭onight, I Celebrate My Love鈥� and in the 1990s with the Maxi Priest duet 鈥淪et the Night to Music.鈥� In the mid-90s, Flack received new attention after the Fugees recorded a Grammy-winning cover of 鈥淜illing Me Softly,鈥� which she eventually performed on stage with the hip-hop group.
Overall, she won five Grammys (three for 鈥淜illing Me Softly鈥�), was nominated eight other times and was given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2020, with John Legend and Ariana Grande among those praising her.
鈥淚 love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it鈥檚 our language,鈥� Flack told songwriteruniverse.com in 2020. 鈥淭hrough music we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music.鈥�
In 2022, Beyonc茅 placed Flack, Franklin and Diana Ross among others in a special pantheon of heroines name-checked in the Grammy-nominated 鈥淨ueens Remix鈥� of 鈥淏reak My Soul.鈥�
Flack was briefly married to Stephen Novosel, an interracial relationship that led to tension with each of their families, and earlier had a son, the singer and keyboardist Bernard Wright. For years, she lived in Manhattan鈥檚 Dakota apartment building, on the same floor as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who became a close friend and provided liner notes for a Flack album of Beatles covers, 鈥淟et It Be Roberta.鈥� She also devoted extensive time to the Roberta Flack School of Music, based in New York and attended mostly by students between ages 6 to 14.
Roberta Cleopatra Flack, the daughter of musicians, was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia. After graduating from Howard, she taught music in D.C.-area junior high schools for several years in her 20s, while performing after hours in clubs.
She sometimes backed other singers, but her own shows at Washington鈥檚 renowned Mr. Henry鈥檚 attracted such celebrity patrons as Burt Bacharach, Ramsey Lewis and Johnny Mathis. The club鈥檚 owner, Henry Yaffe, converted an apartment directly above into a private studio, the Roberta Flack Room.
鈥淚 wanted to be successful, a serious all-round musician,鈥� she told The Telegraph in 2015. 鈥淚 listened to a lot of Aretha, the Drifters, trying to do some of that myself, playing, teaching.鈥�
Flack was signed to Atlantic Records and her debut album, 鈥淔irst Take,鈥� a blend of gospel, soul, flamenco and jazz, came out in 1969. One track was a love song by the English folk artist Ewan MacColl: 鈥淭he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,鈥� written in 1957 for his future wife, singer Peggy Seeger. Flack not only knew of the ballad, but used it while working with a glee club during her years as an educator.
鈥淚 was teaching at Banneker Junior High in Washington, D.C. It was part of the city where kids weren鈥檛 that privileged, but they were privileged enough to have music education. I really wanted them to read music. First, I鈥檇 get their attention. (Flack starts singing a Supremes hit) 鈥楽top, in the name of love.鈥� Then I could teach them!鈥� she told the Tampa Bay Times in 2012.
鈥淵ou have to do all sorts of things when you鈥檙e dealing with kids in the inner-city,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew they鈥檇 like the part where (鈥楾he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face鈥�) goes 鈥楾he first time ever I kissed your mouth.鈥� Ooh, 鈥楰issed your mouth!鈥� Once the kids got past the giggles, we were good.鈥�
Hillel Italie, The Associated Press
