Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88.

She died at home surrounded by her family, publicist Elaine Schock said in a statement. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig91裸聊视频檚 disease, and could no longer sing,

Little known before her early 30s, Flack became an overnight star after Clint Eastwood used 91裸聊视频淭he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face91裸聊视频� as the soundtrack for one of cinema91裸聊视频檚 more memorable and explicit love scenes, between the actor and Donna Mills in his 1971 film 91裸聊视频淧lay Misty for Me.91裸聊视频� The hushed, hymn-like ballad, with Flack91裸聊视频檚 graceful soprano afloat on a bed of soft strings and piano, topped the Billboard pop chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for record of the year.

91裸聊视频淭he record label wanted to have it re-recorded with a faster tempo, but he said he wanted it exactly as it was,91裸聊视频� Flack told The Associated Press in 2018. 91裸聊视频淲ith the song as a theme song for his movie, it gained a lot of popularity and then took off.91裸聊视频�

In 1973, she matched both achievements with 91裸聊视频淜illing Me Softly With His Song,91裸聊视频� becoming the first artist to win consecutive Grammys for best record.

A classically trained pianist and who at age 15 received a full scholarship to Howard, the historically Black university, Flack was discovered in the late 1960s by jazz musician Les McCann, who later wrote that 91裸聊视频渉er voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I91裸聊视频檝e ever known.91裸聊视频� Although versatile enough to summon the up-tempo gospel passion of Aretha Franklin, Flack often favored a more reflective and measured approach, as if curating a song word by word.

For Flack91裸聊视频檚 many admirers, she was a sophisticated and bold new presence in the music world and in the social and civil rights movements of the time, her friends including the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Angela Davis, whom Flack visited in prison while Davis faced charges 91裸聊视频� for which she was acquitted 91裸聊视频� for murder and kidnapping. Flack sang at the funeral of Jackie Robinson, major league baseball91裸聊视频檚 first Black player, and was among the many guest performers on the feminist children91裸聊视频檚 entertainment project created by Marlo Thomas, 91裸聊视频淔ree to Be 91裸聊视频� You and Me.91裸聊视频�

Flack91裸聊视频檚 other hits from the 1970s included the cozy 91裸聊视频淔eel Like Makin91裸聊视频� Love91裸聊视频� and two duets with her close friend and former Howard classmate Donny Hathaway, 91裸聊视频淲here Is the Love91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频漈he Closer I Get to You91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� a partnership that ended in tragedy. In 1979, she and Hathaway were working on an album of duets when he suffered a breakdown during recording and later that night fell to his death from his hotel room in Manhattan.

91裸聊视频淲e were deeply connected creatively,91裸聊视频� Flack told Vibe in 2022, upon the 50th anniversary of the million-selling 91裸聊视频淩oberta Flack and Donny Hathaway91裸聊视频� album. 91裸聊视频淗e could play anything, sing anything. Our musical synergy was unlike (anything) I91裸聊视频檇 had before or since.91裸聊视频�

She never matched her first run of success, although she did have a hit in the 1980s with the Peabo Bryson duet 91裸聊视频淭onight, I Celebrate My Love91裸聊视频� and in the 1990s with the Maxi Priest duet 91裸聊视频淪et the Night to Music.91裸聊视频� In the mid-90s, Flack received new attention after the Fugees recorded a Grammy-winning cover of 91裸聊视频淜illing Me Softly,91裸聊视频� which she eventually performed on stage with the hip-hop group.

Overall, she won five Grammys (three for 91裸聊视频淜illing Me Softly91裸聊视频�), was nominated eight other times and was given a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2020, with John Legend and Ariana Grande among those praising her.

91裸聊视频淚 love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it91裸聊视频檚 our language,91裸聊视频� Flack told songwriteruniverse.com in 2020. 91裸聊视频淭hrough music we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music.91裸聊视频�

In 2022, Beyonc茅 placed Flack, Franklin and Diana Ross among others in a special pantheon of heroines name-checked in the Grammy-nominated 91裸聊视频淨ueens Remix91裸聊视频� of 91裸聊视频淏reak My Soul.91裸聊视频�

Flack was briefly married to Stephen Novosel, an interracial relationship that led to tension with each of their families, and earlier had a son, the singer and keyboardist Bernard Wright. For years, she lived in Manhattan91裸聊视频檚 Dakota apartment building, on the same floor as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who became a close friend and provided liner notes for a Flack album of Beatles covers, 91裸聊视频淟et It Be Roberta.91裸聊视频� She also devoted extensive time to the Roberta Flack School of Music, based in New York and attended mostly by students between ages 6 to 14.

Roberta Cleopatra Flack, the daughter of musicians, was born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and raised in Arlington, Virginia. After graduating from Howard, she taught music in D.C.-area junior high schools for several years in her 20s, while performing after hours in clubs.

She sometimes backed other singers, but her own shows at Washington91裸聊视频檚 renowned Mr. Henry91裸聊视频檚 attracted such celebrity patrons as Burt Bacharach, Ramsey Lewis and Johnny Mathis. The club91裸聊视频檚 owner, Henry Yaffe, converted an apartment directly above into a private studio, the Roberta Flack Room.

91裸聊视频淚 wanted to be successful, a serious all-round musician,91裸聊视频� she told The Telegraph in 2015. 91裸聊视频淚 listened to a lot of Aretha, the Drifters, trying to do some of that myself, playing, teaching.91裸聊视频�

Flack was signed to Atlantic Records and her debut album, 91裸聊视频淔irst Take,91裸聊视频� a blend of gospel, soul, flamenco and jazz, came out in 1969. One track was a love song by the English folk artist Ewan MacColl: 91裸聊视频淭he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,91裸聊视频� written in 1957 for his future wife, singer Peggy Seeger. Flack not only knew of the ballad, but used it while working with a glee club during her years as an educator.

91裸聊视频淚 was teaching at Banneker Junior High in Washington, D.C. It was part of the city where kids weren91裸聊视频檛 that privileged, but they were privileged enough to have music education. I really wanted them to read music. First, I91裸聊视频檇 get their attention. (Flack starts singing a Supremes hit) 91裸聊视频楽top, in the name of love.91裸聊视频� Then I could teach them!91裸聊视频� she told the Tampa Bay Times in 2012.

91裸聊视频淵ou have to do all sorts of things when you91裸聊视频檙e dealing with kids in the inner-city,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 knew they91裸聊视频檇 like the part where (91裸聊视频楾he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face91裸聊视频�) goes 91裸聊视频楾he first time ever I kissed your mouth.91裸聊视频� Ooh, 91裸聊视频楰issed your mouth!91裸聊视频� Once the kids got past the giggles, we were good.91裸聊视频�

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press