Roberta Flack obituary
Singer with a reserved, intimate style on hits such as The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly With His Song
Roberta Flack’s pensive version of Bridge Over Troubled Water, from her 1971 album Quiet Fire, so impressed another rising star that he sent her a fan letter. “Dear Roberta,” wrote Elton John, “I have never heard anything this beautiful in years ... ”
Flack, who has died aged 88, must have seemed both familiar and fascinatingly different to the young English songwriter. Like John, she was a classically trained pianist who had gravitated to pop. But she was North Carolina born, and had taught in high school before having her first hit at the age of 34. Her career was founded on her ability to sell a song using reticence and reserve, qualities that defined her from the early smash singles, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly With His Song, to her final album, a collection of Beatles covers released in 2012.
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Roberta Flack’s 11 Essential Songs
One of the supreme voices of the 1970s and a master of revelatory reinterpretation has died at 88.The New York Times - 4h -
Soulful songstress Roberta Flack dead at 88
Singer Roberta Flack, whose signature voice and soulful interpretations catapulted her to the top of the charts and influenced generations, has died. She was 88.ABC News - 4h -
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer, dies at age 88
Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer of "Killing Me Softly with His Song," "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and other hits, has died at age 88.CBS News - 5h -
Killing Me Softly singer Roberta Flack dies aged 88
The star's other hits included The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Feel Like Makin' Love.BBC News - 4h -
Roberta Flack, Grammy-winning singer, dies at age 88
Roberta Flack's intimate vocal and musical style on "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and other hits made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after.CBS News - 4h -
Roberta Flack’s performances softly burned with the fire of life itself
The soul singer was ambitiously diverse in her musicianship, and enthralled at every turn – whether doing desolate folk cover versions or lighter, sophisticated pop. In the liner notes to 2023’s ...The Guardian - 2h -
Remembering Roberta Flack: 8 timeless hits to salute an unrivaled talent
The great Roberta Flack has diedABC News - 1h -
Roberta Flack, soul and R&B icon behind Killing Me Softly, dies aged 88
Much-loved singer 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 – a ...The Guardian - 6h -
Roberta Flack, timeless R&B singer-songwriter behind 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' dies at 88
Roberta Flack, the singer-songwriter behind the landmark hits 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' and 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' has died. She was 88.Los Angeles Times - 5h
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