From Staff Reports

NEW YORK, N.Y.  — Grammy Award-winning singer and Black Mountain, N.C., native Roberta Flack died here on Feb. 24. 

She was 88 years old.

Her publicist, Elaine Shock, confirmed the news in a statement, saying “She died peacefully surrounded by her family.”

To the contrary, Wikipedia stated the following on Feb. 25:

“Initial reports stated that she died at home among her family. However, her manager, Suzanne Koga, stated she died from cardiac arrest on her way to the hospital in Manhattan.”

Flack’s hit songs from the 1970s included “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softy With His Song.”

Flack was born in Black Mountain on Feb. 10, 1937, and lived there until she was 9 years old. Her parents were Laron Flack, a U.S. Veterans Administration draftsman; and Irene (née Council) Flack, a high school cook and church organist.

In 2020, the town immortalized Roberta Flack with a mural on the side of the Black Mountain Brewing building at 131 Broadway Avenue.

To that end, Asheville television station WLOS News 13 noted on Feb. 25 that Black Mountain Brewing owner John Richardson told News 13 in 2020 the following:

“What a great way to celebrate Mrs. Flack as a native of Black Mountain, to be able to put her face here as an example of what diversity looks like in Black Mountain and to really be able to celebrate her and say thank you for all that she’s done.”

In 2022, a representative for Flack announced the singer had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.