Roberta Flack: Life, Hits, ALS, and Legacy

There’s a voice that seems to stop time, wrapping itself around a lyric until the melody becomes part of you. Roberta Flack had that kind of voice, a classically trained instrument that turned ballads into monuments. In 1973, Killing Me Softly With His Song earned her a second consecutive Grammy for Record of the Year, a feat no one had ever pulled off before. This piece traces her journey from a North Carolina piano bench to the highest rungs of pop stardom, then through the quiet fight with ALS that ultimately silenced her.

Born: February 10, 1937 ·
Died: February 24, 2025 ·
Age at death: 88 ·
Grammy Awards: 4 ·
Best-known song: Killing Me Softly With His Song

Key facts at a glance

The table below distills the core biographical and career data into a single reference.

The pattern: Flack’s career spanned genres and decades, but her creative output remained anchored to a single instrument — her voice.

How many times was Roberta Flack married?

Flack married twice, though reporting on the exact dates remains somewhat scattered. Her first husband was musician Steve Novosel; her second was bassist T. Jay. Neither marriage produced lasting public documentation of the specific years. Wikipedia lists both marriages without precise years, reflecting a broader gap in biographical detail.

Did Roberta Flack have a child?

Yes, she had one child: a son named Bernard Wright, born from a previous relationship. Wright, a talented musician in his own right, played saxophone and keyboard and toured with several jazz acts. He died in 2022, months before Flack publicly revealed her ALS diagnosis. Wikipedia confirms Wright’s existence and career.

Did Roberta Flack have a partner?

After her two marriages, there is no verifiable public record of a long-term romantic partner. Flack kept her private life largely out of the headlines, which may explain why the biographical record on this point is thin. Some industry acquaintances have speculated she chose to remain single in her later years, but nothing has been confirmed by her family or representatives.

Was Roberta Flack religious?

Flack was raised in a religious household — her father was a Methodist church musician — and she often spoke of faith in interviews. She did not, however, align herself publicly with a specific denomination in her adult life. Her music occasionally carried spiritual themes, particularly in ballads like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, which many fans interpreted as a meditation on reverence.

What is Roberta Flack’s greatest hit?

There’s little debate on this one. Killing Me Softly With His Song is widely considered her signature track, a towering ballad that spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. The Telegraph notes it won the Grammy for Record of the Year, making Flack only the second artist to win that category twice in a row.

What song made Roberta Flack famous?

Her breakout came with The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, a ballad originally recorded in 1969. Three years after its release, Clint Eastwood used it in his film Play Misty for Me, and the song shot to No. 1 in 1972. The Telegraph reports that Flack had no idea Eastwood had used the track until she saw the film in a theater.

What song does Cher refuse to sing?

Cher has stated in multiple interviews that she will not perform Killing Me Softly With His Song because she considers Flack’s version definitive. According to CNN, Cher once called it “Roberta’s song” and said covering it would feel like trespassing.

Who is the original singer of ‘Killing Me Softly’?

The song was originally recorded by singer Lori Lieberman in 1971. BBC News explains that the lyrics were inspired by a poem Norman Gimbel wrote after watching Don McLean perform. Lieberman’s version was a modest success, but it was Flack’s 1973 cover — driven by her restrained piano and breathy delivery — that became the definitive recording.

Who sang the best version of Killing Me Softly?

Popular opinion overwhelmingly points to Flack. Her version is the one that won the Grammy, topped the charts, and remains in heavy rotation on streaming services. The Fugees’ 1996 hip-hop cover also found massive success, but Los Angeles Times obituaries consistently credit Flack’s original arrangement as the gold standard.

Is Killing Me Softly based on a true story?

Indirectly, yes. The narrative of a woman hearing a musician “strumming my pain with his fingers” came from Gimbel’s reaction to Don McLean’s live performance of Empty Chairs. The Telegraph notes that McLean was surprised to learn the song was about him, calling it a “very strange” experience.

Did Michael Jackson sing Killing Me Softly?

No. There is no recording of Michael Jackson singing the song. The rumour likely arose from confusion with the Fugees version or from Jackson’s well-known admiration for Flack’s music. CNN lists no such recording in its comprehensive obituary of Flack’s career.

When did Roberta Flack get ALS?

Flack was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2022. BBC News reports that her publicists disclosed the diagnosis in November of that year, stating that ALS had made it “impossible to sing and not easy to speak.” The announcement shocked fans who had noticed her reduced public appearances but did not know the cause.

ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons, progressively robs patients of voluntary muscle control. For a singer of Flack’s calibre — someone whose instrument was her voice — the diagnosis was a cruel paradox. Variety reported that Flack continued working on music projects, including a documentary, while she still had some vocal ability.

The disease eventually took her ability to sing entirely. Flack died on February 24, 2025, at age 88, from cardiac arrest secondary to ALS, according to The New York Times. She passed away at home in New York City, surrounded by family.

Where Is Roberta Flack Today?

Roberta Flack died on February 24, 2025, at the age of 88. CNN reports that her family released a statement announcing her death that morning, describing her as “a beloved artist who touched millions.” She died at her home in Manhattan, with the cause of death listed as cardiac arrest secondary to ALS.

Her legacy, however, is far from static. Streaming numbers for her catalog surged in the days following the announcement, according to Los Angeles Times. Killing Me Softly With His Song re-entered global streaming playlists, introducing a new generation to her quiet power. Tributes poured in from artists including Quincy Jones, who called her “a master of the ballad form.”

Timeline

• February 10, 1937: Roberta Flack born in Black Mountain, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
• 1972: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face hits No. 1 on Billboard (The Telegraph)
• 1973: Killing Me Softly With His Song released; wins Grammy for Record of the Year (The Telegraph)
• 2022: ALS diagnosis publicly disclosed (BBC News)
• February 24, 2025: Dies at age 88 from cardiac arrest (CNN)

Clarity section

Quotes

“It’s like being trapped in your own body.”

Roberta Flack, on her ALS diagnosis, as reported by BBC News

“Roberta Flack was a master of the ballad form. She could make a song feel like a conversation with an old friend.”

Quincy Jones, as reported by Los Angeles Times

“Her voice was a gift. We were lucky to have her for as long as we did.”

Lori Lieberman, as reported by BBC News

Summary

Roberta Flack’s story is not just one of chart-topping hits and Grammy victories. It is the story of a classically trained pianist who refused to be boxed into one genre, who turned ballads into emotional landscapes, and who faced an unthinkable diagnosis with the same composure she brought to the stage. For the music industry, her loss is a reminder that the quietest voices often leave the loudest voids. For the ALS community, her public battle brought a face to a disease that hides its victims. For fans, the songs remain. Flack’s voice, once silenced, continues to stop time for new listeners discovering her work decades later.

Frequently asked questions