Grammy award-winning singer Roberta Flack, known for hits like Killing Me Softly with His Song and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face has died.

According to NBC News, the singer passed away at the age of 88.

Flack’s death was announced by a spokesperson, who said she “died peacefully surrounded by her family”.

Flack suffered a stroke in 2016 and two years later collapsed during a concert, forcing her to use a wheelchair. In November 2022, a representative announced that Flack had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron disease, and could no longer sing.

Flack’s manager later issued a release stating that the disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak”.

Flack began playing classical piano at a young age and later signed with Atlantic Records Group where she recorded The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face which was written by Ewan MacColl, the NBC report said. In 1973, the song won the Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

She later recorded hits Killing Me Softly with His Song and Feel like Makin’ Love, which became her second and third number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.