Grammy award winner Roberta Flack was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gherig's disease. The disease has left her unable to sing.
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A representative for Roberta Flack announced Monday that the Grammy-winning musician has ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and can no longer sing. The progressive disease "has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak," Flack's manager Suzanne Koga said in a release. "But it will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon."
The announcement of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis comes just ahead of the premiere of "Roberta," a feature-length documentary debuting Thursday at the DOCNYC film festival.
Flack is known for hits like "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face," the latter of which catapulted her into stardom after Clint Eastwood used it as the soundtrack for a love scene in his 1971 movie "Play Misty for Me."
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She dont have to sing another note… just smile and I’ll be there till the last day… “stay with me” was my favorite of all of her songs… I still play it at least once a week for the last 50 years… she was my queen of soul music 🎶