Award-winning singer and activist Roberta Flack, best known for her romantic ballads like ‘Killing Me Softly with his song’ back in the 20th century, has passed away.
She was 88 and was confirmed dead by her publicist.
Before she passed away, she had struggled with health issues including a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. She had been in and out of hospitals in the past few years.
Her condition, which became worse as months flew by, affected Flack’s voice. So she could no longer do what she once loved.
But Roberta had achieved everything a singer can achieve. She has gotten 14 Grammy nominations with five wins, including a lifetime achievement award in 2020.
Roberta was fascinated by the piano and started playing when she was 9. By 15, she had earned a scholarship to Howard University where she studied music education.
She was drawn to classical music, but the system of entertainment at that time made no room for her, so she created one for herself.
“One of the hassles of being a Black female musician is that people are always backing you into a corner and telling you to sing soul,” she once told TIME.
“I’m a serious artist. I feel a kinship with people like Arthur Rubinstein and Glenn Gould. If I can’t play (20th-century orchestral composer Bela) Bartok when I want to play Bartok, then nothing else matters.”
More than anything, Flack was an activist. She talked about the social and economic inequalities in her songs.
“I’m deeply saddened that many of the songs I recorded 50 years ago about civil rights, equal rights, poverty, hunger and suffering in our society are still relevant in 2020,” she told AARP in 2020.
