als has stolen roberta flack's ability to sing

the multi-award winning singer of "killing me softly with his song" was diagnosed with lou gehrig's disease in august.

by maija kappler

published nov 16, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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roberta flack was diagnosed with als in august

file photo: 62nd grammy awards – arrivals – los angeles, california, u.s., january 26, 2020 – roberta flack. reuters/mike blake/file photo

beloved grammy-winning singer roberta flack can no longer sing as she battles amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als), her publicist said on monday. flack was diagnosed with als in august, her manager suzanne koga said in a statement to the associated press. the condition “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” the statement said.

als, also called lou gehrig’s disease, is a progressive nervous system disease that impacts the brain’s motor neurons as well as the spinal cord and causes a loss of muscle control, according to the mayo clinic. essentially, the brain stops effectively communicating to the body, which can lead to paralysis. patients lose the ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe.

voice issues can be a primary symptom of als

problems with speech and voice are the primary symptoms of als for up to 15 per cent of patients, the voice foundation explains. the muscles in the voice box are among the body’s muscles that weaken due to the disease. it can often start as a difficulty forming words, or slurred speech. nhl great börje salming, who is also living with als, was diagnosed in july and has also lost the ability to speak.

flack, now 85, rose to fame in the early 1970s with hits like “killing me softly with his song” and “the first time ever i saw your face.” she’s received four grammys and many more nominations, the new york times reported, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the recording academy’s national trustees.

she grew up wanting to be an opera singer, npr reported in a glowing 2020 overview of her career. but after her vocal coach discouraged that dream, she turned to popular music instead. she played an innovative mix of folk and motown songs, and “her repertoire and her warmth as a performer made her a sensation.” that combination of differing styles would go on to define her career, the outlet said, describing her albums as “funky, sexy and political, blending jazz and latin and rock and, always, classical elements in ways that defy the ‘adult contemporary’ label often attached to her work.”

even decades after her debut, her voice continued to move fans around the world.

“flack has a high, pure, crystal-clear voice that shines on simple ’40s- and ’50s-style ballads backed by minimal instrumentation,” the l.a. times wrote in a 1992 concert review.

there’s no known cause for als, no existing cure and very few treatment options. about five to 10 per cent of als cases are genetic, but the majority of cases are called sporadic als, als canada explains, meaning they happen in people with no known family history, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity.

close to 3,000 people living in canada have als. life expectancy is very short: only two to five years following a diagnosis.

despite the sad news, flack’s management ended their statement on a hopeful note.

“it will take a lot more than als to silence this icon,” the statement read. flack “plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits.”

a documentary called “roberta” about the singer’s life and career is premiering this week at doc nyc, a documentary film festival. and the new york times also reports that in 2023, on the 50th anniversary of her fourth album “killing me softly,” rhino records will release a commemorative version of the acclaimed album.

maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing.

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