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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

With her graceful presence, genre-crossing versatility and ability to give voice to the full range of love’s highs and lows, Flack is widely considered one of soul and R&B’s greatest ever artists. Her virtuosity landed her regular spots at venues across Washington DC and in 1968, a residency at Mr Henry’s Restaurant led Flack to give up teaching for good. After her initial success, she became associated with the growth of quiet storm, a deep, mature and ruminative offshoot of R&B which later inspired the likes of Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and the Fugees (whose own take on Killing Me Softly would rival Flack’s to be the definitive version).

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