Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer of ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song,’ dies at 88

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February 24, 2025

By Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC

Roberta Flack in 1969. (Jack Robinson / Hulton Archive via Getty Images)

Grammy award-winning singer Roberta Flack, who crooned hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” has died, a representative confirmed to NBC News.

She was 88.

In November 2022, a representative announced that Flack had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.

The progressive disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said in a news release.

In a statement on Monday, representatives for Flack said they are “heartbroken” by her passing.

“She died peacefully surrounded by her family,” Koga and Mikel Gilmore said in the statement. “Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.”

Continue reading to learn more about Flack’s life.

Flack’s most famous song experienced renewed popularity when it was covered by The Fugees and Lauryn Hill.

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