• Roberta Flack has been identified as having ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
• The legendary singer-songwriter, 85, was given an illness diagnosis in August, and she is currently receiving hospital treatment, according to a spokesperson for her.
• The illness “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” according to a press release. “

Roberta Flack has been identified as having ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The legendary singer-songwriter, 85, was given an illness diagnosis in August, and she is currently receiving hospital treatment, according to a spokesperson for her. The illness “has made it impossible to sing and not easy to speak,” according to a press release.

“It will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon,” the statement read. “Miss Flack plans to stay active in her musical and creative pursuits. Her fortitude and joyful embrace of music that lifted her from modest circumstances to the international spotlight remain vibrant and inspired.”

Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS, is a rare degenerative condition that gradually paralyzes the muscles. Patients initially notice twitching or limb weakness, then slurred speech. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients gradually lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe on their own because the disease destroys the nerve cells in the brain and spine that govern muscular movement.

According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, ALS has no known treatment and often takes the lives of those who are diagnosed with it within three to five years. Some people, though, can live for decades.

Best known for her No. 1 hits “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” and “Feel like Makin’ Love,” Flack revealed earlier this year that despite past health difficulties, she has great ambitions for the future.

The Grammy-winning musician had a stroke in 2016 and recovered in January from a relatively moderate case of COVID-19.

In February, Flack said in a news interview, “The pandemic has kept most of us off the stage for two years.” I hope to personally meet my fans soon, but I don’t know what the next two years will bring.

The Roberta documentary by the singer will have its world premiere at the DOCNYC film festival in New York on November 17. The “American Masters” series, it will then show on PBS on January 24.

On January 10, Flack will release The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music, a children’s book that recounts her early life.

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