Due to Her Battle With ALS, Roberta Flack Can No Longer Sing

By Sandeep Kumar On Nov 15, 2022

According to a statement released by her publicist on Monday, Roberta Flack, the highly recognized vocalist whose huge successes like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” made her one of the most famous voices of the 1970s, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and can no longer sing.

According to Elaine Schock, Ms. Flack’s publicist, in an email sent to The New York Times, the condition, which is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was identified in August and has made it difficult for Ms. Flack to speak since then.

Ms. Flack, 85, received Grammy Awards in 1973 and 1974 for record of the year and best pop vocal performance for her No. 1 songs “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” She received 14 Grammy nominations during her career.

Ms. Flack, who was born and raised in the Big Apple, most recently performed at the Apollo Theater in the year 2018. Ms. Schock said she fainted and had a stroke at the theatre.

Ms. Flack received a lifetime achievement Award from the Recording Academy’s National Trustees in 2020. “Ms. Flack intends to continue her musical and creative endeavors,” according to the statement. “Her fortitude and enthusiastic enjoyment of music, which propelled her from humble beginnings to the international spotlight, remains fresh and inspiring.”

According to the release, a new feature-length documentary titled “Roberta” will premiere on Thursday at the DOC NYC film festival. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Ms. Flack’s fourth album, “Killing Me Softly.” According to the release, Rhino Records will commemorate the event with a commemorative reissue of the record.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that causes the nerve cells to cease functioning and eventually die. The inability of the nerves to excite the specific muscles results in the muscles’ atrophy, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the etiology of most occurrences of A.L.S. is unknown, and reports show that less than 20,000 persons in the United States have it.