Singer Roberta Flack has multiple Grammy Awards to her name and is a pioneer behind a whole subgenre of R&B. Sadly, the celebrated artist, 85, revealed that she has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigโs disease. On top of that, she seems unable to continue singing since this diagnosis.
ALS stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive nervous system disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and along the spinal cord. This results in deteriorated muscle control. Flackโs representatives confirmed its impact on her has already made it difficult to even speak. Here is the latest on Flack since the somber news.
Roberta Flack has ALS
Roberta Flack, the singer whose smash hits like โKilling Me Softly With His Songโ made her among the most recognizable voices of the 1970s, has been diagnosed with ALS and can no longer sing, her publicist said in a statement. https://t.co/NGENIP9sFf
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 15, 2022
On Monday, representatives of Flack revealed that she had been diagnosed with ALS. A statement further specified it โhas made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak. The statement adds hopefully, โBut it will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon.โ Decades ago, Flack shaped the โquiet stormโ subgenre of R&B but it seems like she refuses to be one herself, despite the obstacles she faces.
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This wonโt be the first time Flack defies the odds and sets her own terms. Sheโs already the very first artist in music history to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year two consecutive years in a row. Then, 2020 saw her bestowed with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Celebrating the life and career of Roberta Flack before ALS, after making history
PBS is presenting American Masters: Roberta Flack, a documentary dedicated to Flackโs life and work. It is set to premiere in New York later this month, while in January, Flack is releasing a childrenโs book. American Masters will have a lot of material to explore, from Flackโs musical background through her church organist mother, to her full music scholarship to Howard University, following along her time as a private instructor to her discovery by jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann. Throughout her career, she has also reimagined some Beatles classics, including โHey Jude,โ and was in talks to do some collaborative work.
Flackโs albums have sold millions of copies in the U.S. alone. Itโs her voice singing โTogether Through the Yearsโ that can be heard on NBCโs Valerie, later called The Hogan Family. The US Top 10 was a familiar setting for Flack and her music thanks to โSet the Night to Music.โ Itโs no wonder she is immortalized with a Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999. Wherever she goes from here, fans surely wish her nothing but comfort and continued success.