Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack is no longer able to perform and struggles to speak following an ALS diagnosis, her manager confirmed Monday.
“It will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon,” Flack’s manager, Suzanne Koga, said in a statement to The Associated Press, noting that the degenerative disease “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak.”
Koga also stated that Flack “plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits,” through her eponymous foundation and other endeavors.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Flack, now 85, catapulted to fame more than 50 years ago, when actor and director Clint Eastwood featured her “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” as the soundtrack for a love scene in 1971′s “Play Misty for Me.”
Flack won two Grammys in 1974 for record of the year and best female pop vocal performance for “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” her fourth album. She was most recently honored by the Recording Academy in 2020 with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Variety reported.
According to the entertainment news outelt, the announcement of Flack’s diagnosis comes just before the premiere of “Roberta,” a feature-length documentary from filmmaker Antonino D’Ambrosio slated to debut Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival. In addition to competing at the festival, “Roberta” will also air in January as part of PBS’ 2023 “American Masters” series.
Flack previously suffered a stroke in 2016 and later fell ill while appearing at a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America at the Apollo Theater in New York in 2018, Variety reported.
– The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Roberta Flack poses with the Sing for Piano she designed at the 6th Annual Sing for Hope Pianos Kickoff Event At 28 Liberty Plaza on June 5, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Sing For Hope)
Singers India.Arie, left, and Roberta Flack, right, arrive at the Oxygen Media 2nd Anniversary Party April 4, 2002, in New York City. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Singer Roberta Flack, left, and Rev. Al Sharpton, right, attend the opening of the musical "Lennon" at the Broadhurst Theater on Aug. 14, 2005, in New York City. (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)
Singer Roberta Flack arrives at the 2007 Angel Ball sponsored by LEVIEV to benefit the G&P Foundation for Cancer Research at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Oct. 29, 2007. (Photo by Scott Wintrow/)
Singers Roberta Flack, left, and Maxwell, right, perform onstage during the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on Jan. 31, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Singer/songwriter Roberta Flack attends the George Harrison Concert at the New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall on Feb. 26, 2011, in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Roberta Flack attends the 40th Anniversary Gala for "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" Campaign at The New York Marriott Marquis on March 3, 2011, in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)
Roberta Flack performs onstage at the One World Concert at Syracuse University on Oct. 9, 2012, in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Syracuse University)
Roberta Flack, left, and Bette Midler, right, attend the 26th Annual Power Lunch For Women at The Plaza Hotel on Nov. 16, 2012, in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter Roberta Flack gives a special performance at the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 70th Birthday Party For Billie Jean King at the Museum of Art and Design on Nov. 6, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Women’s Sports Foundation)
Roberta Flack attends Black Girls Rock! 2017 backstage at NJPAC on Aug. 5, 2017, in Newark, New Jersey. The legendary singer has been diagnosed with ALS, her manager confirmed on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Dionne Warwick, left, and Roberta Flack, right, attend Black Girls Rock! 2017 backstage at NJPAC on Aug. 5, 2017, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Rev. Jesse Jackson and Roberta Flack attend the Clive Davis 90th Birthday Celebration at Casa Cipriani on April 6, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
