“Killing me softly”: Roberta Flack dies

The American singer and pianist Roberta Flack has died. According to American media reports, she died of cardiac arrest on Monday surrounded by her family.

Flack is considered one of the greatest soul and R&B singers of all time. Born in North Carolina in 1937, she had her first big hit in 1971 with a cover version of the folk ballad “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”

She won a Grammy in 1974 for her most famous song, “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” She continued her success in duets with soul legend Donny Hathaway.

In 2022, Flack announced that he would no longer be able to sing due to ALS. ALS is a progressive disease of the central nervous system.

A spokeswoman for the singer said at the time that her nervous system was suffering from this degenerative disease that was currently incurable. Flack was 88 years old.