How did Donny Hathaway die? Roberta Flack's collaborations with ex-Howard classmate and soul singer were drastically cut short in 1979

On Monday, February 24, Roberta Flack - the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose creations peaked in the 1970s - passed away at the age of 88. According to Flack's publicist, Elaine Schock, she died at home, surrounded by her family.

Roberta Flack's death comes 46 years after her collaborator and classmate from college, Donny Hathaway's life was cut short. In January 1979, Hathaway and Flack were working together on their second duet album when he suffered a breakdown during a recording session.

Later that night, the soul singer fell from his hotel room (on the 15th floor) in New York City. After he was found dead on the pavement below his window, the death was ruled as suicide. Hathway was only 33 at the time.

Following his death, Flack finished their album by herself, releasing it in 1980. On the 50th anniversary of their collaborative album - Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Flack spoke to Vibe in 2022 about how the artists were "deeply connected creatively," adding:

"He could play anything, sing anything. Our musical synergy was unlike (anything) I’d had before or since."

Eight years before his death, Donny Hathaway was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, with his mental illness a potential cause of his death.

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Donny Hathway was in a jazz trio at Howard when Roberta Flack joined the college

According to WTTW, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathway first met when they joined Howard University. While Flack was the youngest student there, Hathaway played in a jazz trio at the time. However, he didn't complete his graduation due to taking up job offers in the music industry early.

Despite their differing career paths, the two remained in touch. In 1969, when Roberta released her debut album, it had a song written by Hathaway - Our Ages Or Our Hearts.

In 1970, while Hathaway dropped his debut, he also wrote a song for Flack's second album (dropped the same year). Both of them were signed to the same record label at the time - Atlantic.

In 1972, the two friends released their debut duo album named after themselves. A duet from the album, Where Is the Love, peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time, quickly gaining popularity.

While Roberta's career took off after the success of their collaboration, Hathaway started to struggle with his mental health, suffering from bouts of depression. When the duo reunited to work together on another duet album in 1978, the first duet they released - The Closer I Get To You - was another quick success. They had only been able to record one more song before Hathaway's life was cut short.

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Roberta Flack won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2020 Grammys

After Donny Hathaway's death, Roberta Flack went on to release eight more studio albums, with the most recent one being Let It Be Roberta in 2012. She won four Grammys, three of them for her 1973 album, Killing Me Softly.

Speaking with songwriteruniverse.com in 2020, Flack addressed the importance of music in her life, saying:

"I love that connection to other artists because we understand music, we live music, it’s our language. Through music we understand what we are thinking and feeling. No matter what challenge life presents, I am at home with my piano, on a stage, with my band, in the studio, listening to music. I can find my way when I hear music."

The same year, Flack was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, with artists like John Legend and Ariana Grande praising her.

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In 2022, Roberta shared the news of her ALS diagnosis with the world, revealing that she could no longer sing.