Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack
Flack in 1976
Born	Roberta Cleopatra Flack (1937-02-10)February 10, 1937 Black Mountain, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	February 24, 2025(2025-02-24) (aged 88) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Rubina Flake
Occupations	Singer songwriter musician
Spouse	Steve Novosel ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1972)​
Relatives	Rory Flack (niece) Bernard Wright (godson)
Musical career
Genres	Jazz soul R&B
Instruments	Vocals keyboards
Discography	Full list
Years active	1968–2022
Labels	Atlantic (1968–1996) Angel / Capitol (1997) RAS / 429 / Sony/ATV (2011–2018)
Musical artist
Website	robertaflack.com

Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm radio format. Her commercial success included the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", and "Feel Like Makin' Love". She became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in consecutive years.

Flack frequently collaborated with Donny Hathaway, with whom she recorded several hit duets, including "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You". She was one of the defining voices of 1970s popular music and remained active in the industry, later finding success with duets such as "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Peabo Bryson (1983) and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest (1991). Across her decades-long career, she interpreted works by songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles.^[1] In 2020, Flack received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[2]