Roberta Flack, a legendary figure in the music world known for her soulful voice and masterful piano skills, has passed away at the age of 88. Her battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), diagnosed in 2022, was publicly acknowledged, although her representatives have not confirmed if this was the cause of her death, as reported by NPR.
Born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Roberta Flack’s life was steeped in music from the start. Her parents, Laron and Irene Flack, were musically inclined, and by age five, she had moved to Arlington, Virginia. A prodigious talent, Flack graduated high school at 15 and secured a full scholarship to Howard University, aspiring to become a classical concert pianist.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in music education, Flack juggled teaching in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., with performing in clubs. Her big break arrived in 1968 when jazz pianist Les McCann discovered her talent and facilitated her audition for Atlantic Records. By 1969, she had released her debut album, First Take, marking the beginning of a remarkable career.
Flack’s discography includes acclaimed albums like Chapter Two, Quiet Fire, and Killing Me Softly. Throughout her career, she garnered 14 Grammy nominations, winning five, and was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Notably, she remains the only solo artist to clinch the Grammy for Record of the Year consecutively with The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (1973) and Killing Me Softly with His Song (1974).
In 2020, a mural celebrating Flack was proposed by Chapel Hill artist Scott Nurkin and Hopscotch music festival founder Greg Lowenhagen. They approached Black Mountain Brewing about featuring Flack on their building’s wall. “We saw this incredible wall that happened to be located on a building that housed Black Mountain Brewery,” Nurkin recounted. John Richardson, the owner, supported the idea and assisted in fundraising for the mural.
Nurkin expressed that the mural, situated in a popular travel spot, is one of his most recognized works. Reflecting on Flack’s impact, he said, “She was a songbird and she was an incredibly talented classically trained pianist. In the larger arching cultural fashion, she’s up there as one of the pioneers of soulful songwriting and singing piano players.”
There were hopes of Flack visiting the mural, but her health declined after contracting COVID-19. “She had seen the mural. I was told she loved it and was super proud of it, which is just the best thing in the world,” Nurkin shared emotionally.
