Musician Roberta Flack is no longer able to sing, after being diagnosed with ALS, a representative says. Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga said the disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak” but will not “silence this icon.” Here’s what you need to know.
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly known as Lou Gehrig‘s disease in the US, and more broadly under the umbrella term motor neurone disease (MND) in the UK, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. MND affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that tell the muscles what to do, and can cause sufferers to lose the ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe over time.
Roberta Flack Can No Longer Sing After Being Diagnosed With ALS
The announcement of the diagnosis comes just ahead of the premiere of Roberta, an Antonino D’Ambrosio-directed feature-length documentary debuting on Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival. The release issued by Flack’s representatives on Monday said the Grammy-winning singer and pianist, 85, “plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits.”
The North Carolina-born, Virginia-raised musician is the daughter of pianists and classically trained herself — her talent won her a full ride to Howard University at just 15. Flack is known for hit songs including Killing Me Softly With His Song and The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face. The latter catapulted her into stardom after Hollywood star Clint Eastwood used it as the soundtrack for a love scene in his 1971 movie Play Misty for Me.
Flack will shortly publish a children’s book co-written with Tonya Bolden, The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music.
“I have long dreamed of telling my story to children about that first green piano that my father got for me from the junkyard in the hope that they would be inspired to reach for their dreams,” Flack was quoted in the release about her upcoming book. “I want them to know that dreams can come true with persistence, encouragement from family and friends, and most of all belief in yourself.”
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