Roberta Flack, the legendary soul and R&B singer behind classics like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” died in February 2025 at the age of 88, after several years of serious illness, including ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

What Happened To Roberta Flack?

In her final years, Roberta Flack had been living with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and eventually impacts muscle control and speech.

She passed away in February 2025 in New York (reported as Manhattan), with major outlets noting that she died at 88 and highlighting both her illness and her long career rather than any sudden or traumatic event.

By early 2026, her passing was back in the spotlight when Ms. Lauryn Hill led an “In Memoriam” tribute performance to Roberta Flack and D’Angelo at the 2026 Grammy Awards, underlining how central her music remains to soul and R&B history.

Quick Scoop

  • Roberta Flack died in February 2025 at age 88.
  • She had been living with ALS , which contributed to her health decline.
  • Her death was widely reported by major news outlets and music publications.
  • In 2026, the Grammys featured a major tribute performance in her honor, led by Lauryn Hill with multiple guest artists.

Her Final Years and Illness

Roberta Flack’s struggle with ALS became public before her death, with reports noting that the illness limited her ability to perform and speak but did not erase her presence as a revered icon.

ALS typically progresses slowly but relentlessly, and in Flack’s case it contributed to a period of declining health that ended with her passing in early 2025, rather than a sudden incident or accident.

Some obituaries and features noted her own reflections on music in later-life interviews, emphasizing that she saw each song as a way to tell a deeply personal story that listeners could recognize themselves in.

This framing shaped how many fans and fellow artists talked about her death: less about the medical details, more about the emotional legacy of her work.

Legacy: How People Responded

Fans and musicians reacted with intense respect and nostalgia, especially online and in news comment sections, often calling her a “legend,” praising her voice, and sharing how songs from the 1970s had marked their childhood and adult lives.

Many singled out “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Where Is the Love,” and “The Closer I Get to You” as defining tracks that would keep her memory alive.

At the 2026 Grammys, Lauryn Hill’s tribute performance—featuring “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “The Closer I Get to You,” “Where Is the Love,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and other connected pieces—cemented Flack’s place as a foundational influence on modern R&B and neo-soul.

That performance, which involved artists like Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, Leon Bridges, and Wyclef Jean, was framed as a generational handoff: contemporary stars honoring the sound and storytelling she helped pioneer.

Why She’s Still Trending

Even though Roberta Flack passed away in 2025, her name continues to trend whenever:

  • Major award shows run tributes or “In Memoriam” segments.
  • New artists cite her as a direct influence on their vocal phrasing or song choices.
  • Streaming platforms spotlight classic soul playlists, especially around Black History Month.

From a forum and social angle, threads about “what happened to Roberta Flack” often become:

  • Nostalgia spaces, where people share first memories of hearing her on vinyl or radio.
  • Mini history lessons about 1970s soul, Donny Hathaway collaborations, and the lineage to Lauryn Hill and neo-soul.
  • Discussions about how gracefully some artists age out of the spotlight while their songs become timeless.

Mini Timeline

  1. Pre-2020s – Long, decorated career with multiple Grammys and classics like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
  1. Early 2020s – Public awareness of health issues, including ALS, grows; performance activity decreases.
  1. February 2025 – Roberta Flack dies at age 88 in New York; major obituaries and tributes appear worldwide.
  1. 2025–2026 – Tributes from artists (including Lauryn Hill) and large “In Memoriam” moments at the Grammys reinforce her status as an enduring icon.

TL;DR

Roberta Flack died in February 2025 at age 88 after living with ALS, and her passing sparked wide tributes from fans and artists, culminating in a major 2026 Grammys homage that underscored how deeply her music still shapes today’s soul and R&B.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.