Roberta Flack passed away from cardiac arrest on February 24, 2025. She was beloved for her social activism around race and LGBTQ rights, and her unmatched musical style was deeply rooted in her love for community building. Here are three things you might not have known about this legendary singer.
Flack was musically talented from a young age and had originally hoped to be a concert pianist. However, her teachers talked her out of it, fearing she would be rejected by whites-only conservatories. At 15, she entered Howard University on a full scholarship and graduated at the top of her class with a degree in music education.
Flack’s first “real job” was teaching. She taught junior high school for over a decade in North Carolina and Washington, DC. She used her income from teaching to support other artists in her community, including her dear friend and collaborator Donny Hathaway.
Flack is credited with shaping the “quiet storm” genre. She sang with such soul that her audiences were left breathless. However, when she sang “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” she originally had her pet cat in mind.
Flack’s contributions to music, activism, and Blackness will live on forever. She inspires us to keep learning, give freely, and, most importantly, never hold back from looking out for each other.