Roberta Flack net worth is something many music fans want to know. She is known for her smooth voice and timeless hits like Killing Me Softly with His Song and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Her music blends soul, jazz, and R&B, making her one of the greatest artists of her time. Over the years, she has earned money from album sales, live performances, and awards.
So, let’s take a closer look at how she built her wealth and what made her so successful.
Roberta Flack in Brief
| Full Name | Roberta Cleopatra Flack |
| Date of Birth | February 10, 1937 |
| Died | 24 February 2025 |
| Place of Birth | Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Musician |
| Height | 5 feet 3 inches (162 cm) |
| Weight | 140 lbs (63.5 kg) |
| Spouse | Steve Novosel (1966-1972) |
| Net Worth | $20 million |
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What Roberta Flack Net Worth?
Roberta Flack was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist with an estimated net worth of $20 million. Most of her wealth comes from her music, live performances, and royalties. Her career spans more than five decades, and her songs remain popular across generations.
Flack has sold millions of records worldwide. Her biggest financial success came in the 1970s when her albums topped the charts. She won multiple Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for Killing Me Softly with His Song. These achievements helped boost her earnings and made her one of the most respected artists of her time.
Even though she stepped away from the spotlight in recent years, Flack continues to earn money from streaming services and radio play. Her classic hits are still played on major platforms, bringing in steady royalty income.
Early Life
Roberta Flack was born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Her parents were Laron Flack, a draftsman, and Irene Flack, a church organist. She grew up in Arlington, Virginia, in a musical family.
As a child, Roberta played hymns and spirituals on the piano for her church choir. She also loved going to the Baptist church nearby to listen to gospel music by artists like Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke.
At the age of nine, Roberta Flack started playing the piano. By her teenage years, she was great at classical piano. She got a full music scholarship to Howard University. She was just 15 years old when she enrolled, one of the youngest students there.
At Howard, she changed her major from piano to voice and became the assistant conductor of the university choir. She even received a standing ovation for directing a production of Aida.
After graduation, Roberta Flack worked as a student teacher. Sadly, her father passed away, and she had to take a teaching job in Farmville, North Carolina. She also started graduate studies in music at Howard University, but the loss of her father changed her plans.
Career
Before becoming a famous singer, Roberta Flack worked as a teacher in Washington, D.C. She taught at Banneker, Browne, and Rabaut Junior High Schools. Flack also gave private piano lessons. While teaching, she started singing at nightclubs, playing piano, and singing blues, folk, and pop songs.
She played at the Tivoli Club and 1520 Club. Her teacher, Frederick “Wilkie” Wilkerson, encouraged her to focus on pop music. In 1968, she began singing regularly at Mr. Henry’s Restaurant.
In the early 1970s, Roberta Flack sang jazz in a Washington nightclub. She impressed jazz pianist Les McCann, who helped her get an audition with Atlantic Records. Her debut album First Take was recorded in 10 hours.
Roberta Flack became famous when Clint Eastwood used her song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his movie Play Misty for Me. The song became a number-one hit in 1972. It was also awarded Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards in 1973.
Flack worked with Donny Hathaway, recording hits like “Where Is the Love” and “The Closer I Get to You”. After Hathaway’s death, Flack released their final album Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway.
In 1973, Flack had another hit with “Killing Me Softly with His Song”, which won Grammy Awards. She later produced the hit song Feel Like Makin’ Love in 1974. Flack also worked on songs for movies like Huckleberry Finn and The Tiny Tree.
In the 1980s, Flack had a hit with Making Love from the movie of the same name. She also worked with Peabo Bryson on the song Tonight, I Celebrate My Love. In 1986, Flack sang the theme song for The Hogan Family. She continued releasing albums, including Oasis in 1988 and a duet with Maxi Priest on Set the Night to Music in 1991.
Roberta Flack received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999. She toured South Africa and performed for President Nelson Mandela. In 2010, she sang Where Is The Love with Maxwell at the Grammy Awards.
In 2012, she released Let It Be Roberta, an album of Beatles covers, including “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be.” At age 80, Flack recorded “Running” for the documentary 3100: Run and Become in 2018.
Personal life
Flack was married to Steve Novosel from 1966 to 1972. She was the aunt of ice skater Rory Flack and the godmother of musician Bernard Wright, who passed away in 2022.
For a time, she lived in The Dakota building in NYC. Her neighbor was Yoko Ono, and John Lennon’s son Sean called her “Aunt” Roberta.
Death
In 2018, Roberta Flack was performing at the Apollo Theater for a Jazz Foundation of America event. During the show, she became sick, left the stage, and was rushed to Harlem Hospital. Her manager later said that Flack had suffered a stroke year earlier and was still recovering. She was doing okay but needed to stay in the hospital overnight for observation.
In late 2022, it was revealed that Flack had been diagnosed with ALS. This illness made it impossible for her to continue singing, so she retired from performing.
Roberta Flack passed away on February 24, 2025, at the age of 88. Reports say she died at home surrounded by her family. However, her manager, Suzanne Koga, later shared that Flack passed away from cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital in Manhattan.
Awards
The American Music Awards started in 1973. It was created by Dick Clark. Roberta Flack won Best Soul/R&B Female Artist in 1974 at the first show.
In 2017, Flack got an honorary Doctorate in the Arts from Long Island University. She was added to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2021, she became one of the first members of the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In March 2022, Flack was honored with the DAR Women in American History Award. They also restored a fire callbox in Washington D.C. to honor her link to Mr. Henry’s bar. In January 2023, PBS aired a special about her career on the show American Masters. Later, in May 2023, Flack received another honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.
Flack has won four Grammy Awards from thirteen nominations. In 1973, she won Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance for Where Is the Love with Donny Hathaway. She also won for Killing Me Softly with His Song in 1974 and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for the album Quiet Fire.
Other notable Grammy moments include her nominations for Feel Like Makin’ Love in 1975 and Back Together Again with Donny Hathaway in 1979. In 2020, she won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Real Estate
For over 40 years, she lived in the famous Dakota building. She bought her apartment at 1 W 72nd St in the 1970s when she was very famous. Her apartment, Apt 78, was near famous neighbors like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. She became friends with them.
Her apartment had nine rooms, high ceilings, and views of Central Park. These views inspired many of her songs. In 2015, she tried to sell her apartment for $10 million. After her stroke, she sold it in 2018 for $5.8 million. This marked the end of a special time in her life.