Legendary singer Roberta Flack honored by family, friends with celebration of life
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Legendary singer Roberta Flack was honored by family, friends and fans on Monday with a celebration of life service in Harlem.
Flack, 88, died on Feb. 24 at her home.
The Grammy-winning singer announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and could no longer sing.
For decades her songs have been the backdrop for countless love stories, such as "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
"No prolific artist ever excelled beyond what she did for us as a community and as a nation," said Reverend Al Sharpton.
Flack grew up in the church, learned to play piano sitting on her mother's lap. When she was just 15 years old, she received a full scholarship to Howard University in Washington. Flack went on to study classical piano and opera while also teaching music and English.
In 1969, Flack released her debut album but got her big break when Clint Eastwood asked to use this legendary song in a movie.
"She never did a song she didn't believe in," added musician Gary Fritz. "So, she had to have something that touched her, that gave her that authenticity about what she was singing."
Flack recorded more than 20 albums. Kadijah Wilson was a back up singer for her in the late 60s.
"She was very gracious," said Wilson. "A humble person. Not what people think about when they think about celebrities attitude and being divas."
Flack was remembered as a pure genius who once said about performing, "I've found out the way to get myself through to people is just unzip myself and let everything hang out."
Since her passing, the number of downloads for Flack's music jumped nearly 4,600% in just a few days.
ALSO READ | Video: High winds flip board onto car's windshield on Verrazzano Bridge
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
