NEW YORK (AP) — A representative for Roberta Flack announced Monday that the Grammy-winning musician has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and can no longer perform.
The progressive illness “made it impossible to sing and not easy to talk about,” Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said in a statement. “But it will take a lot more than the FTA to silence this icon.”
The announcement of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis comes just before the premiere of “Roberta,” a feature-length documentary that debuts Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival.
Flack is known for hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” the latter of which catapulted her to stardom after Clint Eastwood used it as the soundtrack to of a love scene in his 1971 film “Play Misty for Me.”
The statement said the Grammy-winning singer and pianist, now 85, “plans to remain active in her musical and creative pursuits” through her namesake foundation and other avenues.
The Antonino D’Ambrosio-directed documentary will be in competition at the festival and available on the DOCNYC website for a week afterward, before airing on TV Jan. 24 as part of PBS’ “American Masters” series.
Flack also plans to release a children’s book he co-wrote with Tonya Bolden, “The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music,” that month. Born in North Carolina, raised in Virginia, Flack is the daughter of pianists and classically trained: her talents earned her a full pass to Howard University at just 15.
“I have long dreamed of telling my children the story of the first grand piano my father picked up from the junkyard in hopes that they would be inspired to pursue their dreams,” Flack said in the statement. “I want them to know that dreams can come true with perseverance, encouragement from family and friends, and most of all, believing in yourself.”
The documentary’s television debut and book release begins in 2023, which will also mark the 50th anniversary of his fourth album, Killing Me Softly, with a reissue. His label from the first three decades of his career, Atlantic Records, is also celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Flack suffered a stroke in 2016 and spoke to The Associated Press just over two years later about returning to show business. When asked if she would play one of her elders at an event, she quickly retorted, “There’s no such thing as an old man,” preferring the term “classic” instead.
“I could play any number of songs that I’ve recorded over the years, easily, I could play them, but I’m going to pick those songs that move me,” Flack said. “It’s hard to do now. To be moved, to be constantly moved by your own songs.
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