According to her publicist Elaine Schock, Flack passed away at her New York home surrounded by her family. In 2022, Flack announced that she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The singer, pianist and four-time Grammy winner had two other No. 1 hits with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Feel Like Makin' Love."

Roberta Flack's intimate vocal and musical style on "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and other hits made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after.