<p id=”par-1_43″>The <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> world is mourning the death of an iconic singer after it was revealed that <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/singer-roberta-flack-dies-88.html/”>Roberta Flack has died</a>. The star’s publicist, Elaine Schock, confirmed that Flack died on Feb. 24, 2025, at her home, surrounded by her family. She was 88.</p>
<p id=”par-2_62″>The R&B artist had been dealing with a series of health problems over the last few years including a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. A spokesperson for Flack shared the news of her diagnosis publicly in 2022 and stated at the time that the condition made it impossible for her to sing ever again. </p>
<p id=”par-3_49″>Now, as we remember the life and legacy of Flack, here are a few things you may not have known about the legendary songwriter including the very famous neighbors she lived right next door to for decades and what her <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/net-worth/?swcfpc=1″>net worth</a> was at the time of her death.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-flack-had-very-famous-neighbors-who-referred-to-her-as-aunt-roberta”>Flack had very famous neighbors who referred to her as ‘Aunt Roberta’</h2>
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<p id=”par-4_27″>Flack was born on Feb. 10, 1937, in North Carolina to parents Laron and Irene. Her family later moved to Virginia and she grew up in Arlington. </p>
<p id=”par-5_47″>Flack’s earliest influences in music came from what she heard in church where her mother played piano. Flack began her own piano lessons at the age of 9 and was so talented that she received a full music scholarship to Howard University at just 15 years old.</p>
<p id=”par-6_114″>She was discovered while singing and playing jazz in a Washington D.C. nightclub by pianist Les McCann. She ended up signing a contract with Atlantic Records in the late 1960s. But Flack really garnered attention in 1972, when Clint Eastwood featured her rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his film <em>Play Misty for Me</em>. The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts and remained there for several weeks as did her follow-up single “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” The latter earned her a second Record of the Year Grammy and became known to a whole new generation of fans when it was covered by The Fugees in 1996. </p>
<p id=”par-7_76″>At the height of her fame in the ’70s, Flack moved into the exclusive Dakota building in the heart of New York City. The building was home to other famous residents including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who lived in the apartment right next to Flack’s. The songbird continued to live there long after Lennon’s death in 1980 and shared walls with Ono for more than four decades before selling her property in 2018. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Musicians-Yoko-Ono-John-Lennon-and-Roberta-Flack-at-17th-Annual-Grammy-Awards-circa-1975-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Musicians Yoko Ono, John Lennon, and Roberta Flack at 17th Annual Grammy Awards (circa 1975)” class=”wp-image-3780914″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Musicians Yoko Ono, John Lennon, and Roberta Flack at 17th Annual Grammy Awards (circa 1975) | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-8_55″>“I was very blessed that I grew up with the coolest neighbor in the world,” Sean Lennon said in the 2022 <span style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px;”>documentary<em> <a href=”https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22802800/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Roberta</a></em></span>. “At first, I didn’t even think of Roberta as this incredible artist and musician, she was just this really cool neighbor. We used to call her Aunt Roberta, and we were very close.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_85″>Sean added that his mother and Flack became such good friends since “They understood each other because they were both incredibly powerful women. My mom, she’d be in the studio producing my dad’s records, and people don’t really think about that. They imagine this sort of quiet girlfriend, but my mom is often a dominating force in the room and I think Roberta was just like that. They both dealt with that kind of sexism, but it’s something that they overcame, and they were tough.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-what-was-flack-s-net-worth-when-she-died”>What was Flack’s net worth when she died? </h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Roberta-Flack-attends-the-Shot-Caller-dinner-during-the-2022-BGR-Film-Festiva-in-Washington-DC.-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Roberta Flack attends the Shot Caller dinner during the 2022 BGR! Film Festiva in Washington, DC.” class=”wp-image-3780892″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Roberta Flack attends the Shot Caller dinner during the 2022 BGR! Film Festiva in Washington, DC. | Brian Stukes/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-10_63″>During her five-decade-long career, the star collaborated frequently with fellow soul singer Donny Hathaway. They had several hits together including “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Where Is the Love” and ”The Closer I Get to You.” Following his death in 1979, she began partnering for duets with Peabo Bryson. Over the years, Flack worked with other well-respected performers as well including Luther Vandross. </p>
<p id=”par-11_19″>She also founded the Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx, providing free musical education to underprivileged children.</p>
<p id=”par-12_19″>In 2015, Flack listed her historic Dakota apartment for $10 million. It sold three years later for $5.8 million. </p>
<p id=”par-13_20″>Flack had a net worth of $20 million at the time of her death, according to <a href=”https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/singers/roberta-flack-net-worth/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Celebrity Net Worth</a>. </p>