Appreciation 'Music is my expression'

Roberta Flack, the US singer behind a string of hits including Killing Me Softly With His Song, has died aged 88.

- Ben Beaumont-Thomas Safi Bugel

Roberta Flack, the US singer behind a string of hits including Killing Me Softly With His Song, has died aged 88. A statement yesterday from her spokesperson read: "We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning. She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator."

With her graceful presence, genre-crossing versatility and ability to give voice to the full range of love's highs and lows, Flack is widely considered one of soul and R&B's greatest ever artists.

Flack was born in 1937 in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to musical parents. Her mother, Irene, was a church choir organist, so Flack was introduced to religious and classical music early on. She began playing the piano aged nine, and at 15 she was admitted to Howard University to study music on a full scholarship - one of the youngest students to be accepted in the school's history.

At 19, the new Howard graduate aspired to be an opera singer, before taking up a teaching post in North Carolina. Alongside this work, Flack started performing in nightclubs at evenings and weekends, weaving elements of classical, blues, folk, Motown and pop. Her virtuosity landed her regular spots at venues across Washington DC, and in 1968 a residency at a restaurant led her to give up teaching for good.

She met soul jazz pianist and singer Les McCann, who in turn introduced her to Atlantic Records. In early 1969, she recorded her debut album, First Take, reportedly in just 10 hours. The album immortalised the cross-genre collection of tracks she had spent so long performing live. In the original liner notes, McCann wrote: "Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more."