Roberta Flack, the seductive voice of 'Killing Me Softly with His Song', a 1973 song that topped the charts for weeks and was later the subject of numerous covers, the most famous of which was by the Fugees in 1996, has passed away.
The American singer and pianist was 88 years old and died of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also called Lou Gehrig's disease. The American media reported this, citing her spokeswoman, Elaine Schock.
Originally from North Carolina, Flack rose to overnight fame after Clint Eastwood used 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face' as part of the soundtrack to 'Play Misty for Me' (1971).
In particular, the song provided the background music for one of the most memorable love scenes in cinema, the one between Eastwood, in the role of Dave Garver, and Donna Mills, in the role of Tobie Williams.
The song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Grammy Award for Song of the Year. 1973's 'Killing Me Softly With His Song' saw Flack become the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for Best Record. Discovered in the 60s by jazz musician Les McCann, the singer was inspired as a young girl by the gospel music of Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke.
She began studying piano at age nine and, at 15, entered Howard University in Washington, DC as a child prodigy. However, she was forced to drop out of school after her father's death. Her other hits include the 1974 single, 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' which also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
She later collaborated with Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder Revue tour, whose concerts in the fall of 1975 were filmed for the 1978 film, written and directed by Dylan, 'Renaldo and Clara'. Over the course of her career, Flack has won a total of 4 Grammy Awards and in 1999 she was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Roberta Flack was an amazing singer, but her death is truly a great sadness. Her songs like 'Killing Me Softly' will always be in our hearts. But what can we do, life goes on.