Legendary RnB singer Roberta Flack tragically passed away. Her publicist Elaine Schock announced Flack’s demise via a statement. The singer, known for hits like Killing Me Softly With His Song and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, had announced in 2022 that she was suffering from motor neurone disease, rendering her unable to sing.
Roberta Flack’s career and legacy
Roberta Flack was born in Carolina and raised in Virginia. She first began her journey in music by becoming a pianist. She received a scholarship to Howard University at 15 and eventually became a teacher. She would moonlight as an opera pianist in the night, and sing pop numbers in between.
Musician Les McCann discovered her singing at a jazz club. He described Flack’s voice as “her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known,” according to BBC.
She gained recognition in her thirties after her recording of Ewan MacColl’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was used in Clint Eastwood’s film Play Misty for Me in 1971. The song went on to win the Song of the Year award at the Grammys. The singer went on to win four Grammys in her lifetime.
She was married to a jazz musician Stephen Novosel from 1966 to 1972. She also opened up a music school in New York named Roberta Flack School of Music in New York, providing music education to disadvantaged children. Roberta Flack suffered from a stroke in 2019. In 2022, it was revealed that the singer is also suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
She was bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2020 Grammys. “It’s a tremendous and overwhelming honor,” she said about the award, adding “I’ve tried my entire career to tell stories through my music. This award is a validation to me that my peers heard my thoughts and took in what I have tried to give.”
What was Roberta Flack’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Roberta Flack’s net worth was $20 million. Her success came with chart-topping singles
Popular figure skater Rory Flack is her niece. The late music director Bernard Wright was her godson.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News