Artist known for Killing Me Softly with His Song, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and duets with Donny Hathaway and Peabo Bryson had suffered a stroke in 2016
Roberta Flack, the soul icon famous for "Killing Me Softly with His Song," died on February 24, 2025, at age 88. Born in 1937, she studied music at Howard University and began performing in nightclubs, leading to a recording contract with Atlantic Records. She won Grammy Awards for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and collaborated with Donny Hathaway. Her music influenced the quiet storm R&B subgenre and artists like Erykah Badu and the Fugees. In 2018, it was revealed that Flack had suffered a stroke years prior. She was married to jazz musician Steve Novosel from 1966 to 1972.
