Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder led the tributes to Roberta Flack at the legendary singer’s memorial service at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church on Monday (March 10).
Hill, who famously reworked “Killing Me Softly With His Song” as part of the Fugees, appeared incredibly emotional at the ceremony and said to those in attendance: “Her existence was a form of resistance. I adore Ms. Roberta Flack. Roberta Flack is legend.”
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The oft-elusive star then performed Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” before following up with a rendition of “Killing Me Softly” alongside Wyclef Jean and Stevie Wonder on harmonica.
Wonder then performed “If It’s Magic” and “I Can See The Sun” by himself.
He also shared some words at the service, saying: “The great thing about not having the ability to see with your eyes is the great opportunity of being able to even better see with your heart. And so I knew how beautiful Roberta was, not seeing her visually but being able to see and feel her heart.”
The memorial service was also attended by the likes of civil rights leader Al Sharpton and actor Phylicia Rashad, while Alicia Keys, Clive Davis and Dionne Warwick sent in video messages.
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Former vice-president Kamala Harris also submitted a statement which was read aloud.
Harris’ letter said: “Ms Flack broke down barriers, paved paths of opportunity, and fully embodied the words my mother often said to me, ‘You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.’ As an activist and Grammy-award winning singer, her legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.”
Lauryn Hill previously paid tribute to Robert Flack after she died at the age of 88 last month.
She said of the legendary singer: “Whitney Houston once said to me that Roberta Flack’s voice was one of the purest voices she’d ever heard. I grew up scouring the records my Parents collected. Mrs. Flack was one of their favorites and quite instantly became one of mine as soon as I was exposed to her.”
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Hill continued: “She looked cool and intelligent, gentle and yet militant. The songs she recorded from ‘Compared to What’ to ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ to her version of ‘Ballad of the Sad Young Men’ fascinated me with their beauty and sophistication.
“‘Killing Me Softly,’ a song Mrs. Flack didn’t write but made hugely popular, became the song that catapulted myself and the Fugees into household phenomena. We wanted to honor the beauty and brilliance of this song and her performance of it to our generation.”
