Roberta Flack reveals she is unable to sing anymore due to ALS

Roberta Flack cannot sing anymore after being diagnosed with ALS (Image via Brian Stukes/Getty Images)

Grammy-award winning musician Roberta Flack won’t be able to sing anymore as she has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. According to her manager, Suzanne Koga, the disease has made it difficult for Flack to sing and speak.

ALS refers to a progressive nervous system disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control.

Flack suffered a stroke in 2016, and was kept overnight for medical observation. She appeared onstage at the Apollo Theater at a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America in April 2018, where she became ill, left the stage, and was transported to the Harlem Hospital Center.

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Following the stroke in 2016, she stated in an interview with the Associated Press that she wants her songs to be remembered as classics instead of old hits. She said,

“I could sing any number of songs that I’ve recorded through the years, easily, I could sing them, but I’m going to pick those songs that move me. Now that’s hard to do. To be moved, to be moved constantly by your own songs.”

A documentary on her life is scheduled to premiere next week in New York, and she is also planning to publish a children’s book in January, based on her very first piano, which her father rescued from a junkyard.

Despite her diagnosis, Flack plans to continue her musical and creative pursuits through her Roberta Flack Foundation, according to the press.

Roberta Flack's disease has no cure until now (Image via Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images)

Roberta Flack is famous for her singles like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Killing Me Softly with His Song, Feel Like Makin’ Love, The Closer I Get to You, and more.

Flack has gained recognition for her impact on the quiet storm, which is a subgenre of contemporary R&B alongside interpretations of songs by songwriters like Leonard Cohen and the Beatles.

She was the recipient of the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1973 for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and in 1974 for Killing Me Softly with His Song.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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Edited by Babylona Bora