By Gus Saltonstall
Legendary singer and pianist Roberta Flack, a longtime Upper West Side resident, died on Monday at the age of 88, her manager confirmed to multiple publications, including the New York Times and the Associated Press.
Flack died on the way to the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest related to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; she revealed her ALS diagnosis in 2022, according to the New York Times.
Flack, who was born in North Carolina in 1937 and received a full music scholarship to Howard University at age 15, rose to sudden fame in her thirties after her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was featured in the 1972 Clint Eastwood film “Play Misty for Me.” The singer would go on to win multiple Grammy awards, and her work topped recording charts for decades.
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love” were her two most popular songs over her career.
Around the time Flack’s star was rising, she also made another significant life choice. In 1975, she moved into The Dakota on the corner of West 72nd Street and Central Park West.
She lived in the apartment next to Dakota residents John Lennon and Yoko Ono and would become particularly close with Ono following Lennon’s death in 1980, according to People Magazine.
“I was very blessed that I grew up with the coolest neighbor in the world,” Sean Lennon, John and Yoko’s son, told People in 2022 about Flack. “At first, I didn’t even think of Roberta as this incredible artist and musician, she was just this really cool neighbor. We used to call her Aunt Roberta, and we were very close.”
Flack would go on to spend more than 40 years in The Dakota before attempting to sell the apartment beginning in 2015. In 2018, the apartment went into contract to a new tenant, but it is unclear if the buyer ever moved in or whether Flack eventually moved out.
Local residents reported seeing Flack walking her dog often in Central Park near West 72nd Street.
You can read more about Roberta Flack’s life — HERE.
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That version of Killing Me Softly was killer. I watched it three times wow.
Goosebumps. What a gift. Thank you for sharing this beautiful song.
💙 Roberta was a wonderful friend and had many walks together around Bethesda Fountain in Central Park with our dogs.
She was a very good friend of mine and supported many events and programs I did while in the music business in the late 1960s through 90s. She also supported many youth programs in promoting music higher education.
Wonderful stories….🙏
🕊️Rest softly Ms. Roberta Cleopatra Flack. You touched many with your songs.
This was an artist, in every sense, in the best possible sense. What a life.
Roberta Flack has been singing in the background of my life forever.
I was just a pre-teen kid, but ‘Blue Light in the Basement’ was one of my first record purchases. I was also gifted ‘Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway’ and ‘Roberta Flack’ for x-mas that year.
They keep leaving, one by one. Angela Bofill. Diva Gray. Alfa Anderson. Sugar Pie DeSanto. Cissy Houston. Quincy Jones. And now Roberta Flack.
I am feeling old. Somebody save me a seat, eh?
What a beautiful pure voice—no extra pyrotechnics or flourishes—like a pure clear stream—she certainly conjures up an era when IMO music was much better
Late Ms. Flack tried many times over past years to sell her apartment at the Dakota, but it never moved. This despite a few reductions in asking price. Her estate will now be charged with selling.
https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/inside-the-manhattan-home-singer-roberta-flack-passed-away-in-at-age-88/
Ghoulish bit of trivia.
Rear (73rd street) exit/entrance from courtyard of the Dakota apartments was used for “funeral participants”. This would have included coffin carrying deceased at a time when funerals occurred at home.
https://www.untappedcities.com/the-top-10-secrets-of-nycs-iconic-dakota-apartments/
No one has topped Ms. Flack’s version of “Jessie”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69BON630PUw
*RIP*
Race is over Ms. Flack, now it’s time to rest.
Thank you! This is wonderful . She was part of the soundtrack of my youth. Sorry she got ALS, not an easy condition.