Music: Singer Roberta Flack dies

The American singer and songwriter Roberta Flack has died. This was reported by several media outlets in the USA and Great Britain, citing her management. Flack was considered an icon of R&B and soul.

"We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning," the British Guardian newspaper quoted from a statement. "She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud teacher," it continued. Her biggest hits included the songs "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly with His Song," and "Running."

Flack was born in 1937 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Her parents were considered musical; her mother was an organist in the church choir and introduced her daughter to religious and classical music at an early age. Flack began playing the piano at the age of nine, and at just 15, according to the Guardian, she was admitted to Howard University with a full scholarship - as one of the "youngest students in the school's history," as it is described.

The highly gifted student actually wanted to become a concert pianist, but this was unthinkable for a black woman at the time. So Flack also studied education, became a music teacher, and then gave concerts for her students. Her aim was always to pass on the joy of music to others.

She got help with her big breakthrough by chance from actor Clint Eastwood. He heard her song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" on the car radio and was electrified: he absolutely wanted to use this yearning piano ballad for his directorial debut "Sadistico" from 1971 - in its entirety.

The song, which had been recorded two years earlier, immediately conquered the charts. The singer, who was previously only known to insiders, won her first Grammy in 1973 and an unparalleled career began. Flack was 88 years old.

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