Nearly three decades after reimagining Roberta Flack’s timeless classic with the Fugees, Ms. Lauryn Hill took to Instagram to honor the late soul icon following her passing at age 88 on February 24, 2025.
On Tuesday, February 25, Hill shared a heartfelt tribute to Flack, whose 1973 hit “Killing Me Softly With His Song” became a Grammy-winning phenomenon for the Fugees in 1996.
Hill, an eight-time Grammy recipient herself, opened her message by recalling a conversation with Whitney Houston.
“Whitney once said to me that Roberta Flack’s voice was one of the purest voices she’d ever heard,” she wrote. She went on to describe her personal connection to Flack’s music, rooted in childhood memories of exploring her parents’ record collection.
“Ms. 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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The tribute painted Flack as a multifaceted artist—“cool and intelligent, gentle and yet militant”—whose work left an indelible mark on Hill. Songs like “Compared to What” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” captivated her with their “beauty and sophistication,” showcasing Flack’s mastery as a singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer.
“Ms. Flack was an artist who moved me and showed me through her own creative choices and standards what else was possible in the idiom of Soul,” Hill reflected.
The Fugees’ rendition of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” remains a defining moment in Hill’s career. Originally a chart-topping single for Flack, the track was reborn in 1996, earning the Fugees a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
That same year, Flack joined the group for a memorable live performance of the song. Hill credited Flack’s original not just for its brilliance but for its cultural resonance, noting that it propelled the Fugees into “household phenomena.”
“We wanted to honor the beauty and brilliance of this song and her performance of it to our generation,” she wrote.
Closing her tribute, Hill expressed deep gratitude for Flack’s artistry. “I will forever be grateful for the sensitivity and delicate power of her Love and Artistry. Rest In Grace Beloved One,” she concluded, offering a poignant farewell to a musical pioneer whose influence continues to echo.
