Obituary for Roberta Flack: “I laughed, cried and screamed for more”

Soul singer Roberta Flack has died. She was a diva with a heart for ballads and roots in the tradition of protest songs. Her secret was a flame in her voice that never burst into fire.

When the world remembers Roberta Flack, who died on Monday, the radio will play "Killing Me Softly," "Feel Like Making Love," or her version of "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face." All of them soul ballads with an effect that Americans call "babymaking music." Roberta Flack had one of those American voices that was trained in a church choir and therefore had a fervor that goes straight to the heart even in secular soul. And because she not only had the voice, but also mastered the piano and songwriting, she became a defining figure in this music .