Roberta Flack, singer of ‘Killing Me Softly,’ has died at age 88

Singer Roberta Flack, who broke through as one of the most important and beloved singers of the 1970s and beyond with a sound that combined soul, jazz, rock and pop, died Monday at the age of 88. A representative for Flack did not share a cause of death, but the singer had been battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Musically gifted from a young age, Flack won a scholarship to Howard University at just 15 with plans to pursue a classical music career.