Roberta Flack, the iconic pop and R&B singer whose career soared in the early 70s with Grammy-winning classics like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly, has died at the age of 88.

A statement was released by her publicist on Monday confirming that she had died in the morning. It read: "We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning, February 24, 2025.

"She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator."

The statement did not specify Roberta's cause of death.

Born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to a musical family, Flack's early inspiration began as a child and she learned to play the piano at age nine.

She enrolled at the prestigious Howard University on a full scholarship at just 15. However, her academic journey in music was cut short by her father's death, leading her to teach in North Carolina and the District of Columbia.

Flack's career in music took a definitive turn when she started performing in a nightclub in Washington DC, where jazz pianist Les McCann discovered her. McCann introduced her to Atlantic Records, which signed her in 1968.

Her debut album First Take was released in 1969, but it was Clint Eastwood's use of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me that propelled the song and Flack to major success.

The song soared to number one on the pop charts and helped the album hold the same position for five weeks. In January 1973, it won the Record of the Year Grammy.

Flack's duets with Donny Hathaway left an indelible mark on the music charts, spawning hits like Where Is the Love, which clinched a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1973.

She continued to produce music well into the new millennium, with her final homage to the Beatles, Let It Be Roberta, dropping in 2012. She earned her last major Grammy nod in 1995 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for her album Roberta.

Flack was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in November 2021. This progressive neurodegenerative disease significantly impacted her ability to perform and make public appearances.

Following the news of her death on Monday, Roberta's fans took to X to mourn the loss of an icon. One wrote: "Roberta Flack had such heart-achingly beautiful songs. I listened and danced to a LOT of her music in my ballroom days. RIP legend."

Another penned: "We had 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' playing as we walked down the aisle at our wedding celebration in August 2021. Such beautiful music. RIP Roberta Flack."

Flack, who was divorced from Stephen Novosel in 1972, is survived by her son, musician Bernard Wright.