Fugees‘ Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean have teamed up for a performance at Roberta Flack’s memorial earlier this week.
Flack passed away on February 24 with her representatives sharing a statement that read: “We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta Flack passed away this morning. She died peacefully surrounded by her family. Roberta broke boundaries and records. She was also a proud educator.”
An official cause of death was not shared, although it is worth noting that the singer had been battling ALS for the past three years.
The late R&B icon’s star-studded memorial service was held at New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem this past Monday (March 10).
The two former bandmates were present and performed a few covers of her classic tracks. They did a rendition of Flack’s 1969 hit ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ as well as their cover of ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song’ which featured on their 1996 LP ‘The Score’ and launched the group into stardom. To this day, ‘Killing Me Softly’ remains Fugees’ biggest hit.
ms. lauryn hill honoring roberta flack in nyc this evening at her celebration of life 💐 pic.twitter.com/YijOl0rxCY
— A.J. Thomas 🎙️✨ (@orangecloudz) March 10, 2025
Prior to singing, Hill gave a speech in honour of Flack’s memory. “We weren’t formally asked to do this because I think they were a little shy in asking us to attend. So we kind of bum-rushed the service because it really wouldn’t be possible for us to just stand by and not participate,” she told the attendees (via Billboard).
She continued: “Like Nina Simone, she carved out for me a pathway of soulful Black intellectual sublime beauty that not only spoke to Black resistance directly in lyric and statement, but was Black resistance to racism, bigotry and limitations by virtue of its existence.
“She didn’t just write about the beauty; she was the beauty. She didn’t just write about resistance; her existence was a form of resistance. She wrote our stories in forms the established authorities of the time could not deny; compositions wrapped with graceful classical forms and nuances that would not nor could not be dismissed.”
Hill had previously shared a tribute to Flack upon hearing of her passing. The likes of Rev. Al Sharpton, Valerie Simpson, Phylicia Rashad, Dionne Warwick, Alicia Keys, India.Arie, Peabo Bryson, Clive Davis and Steve Wonder were all in attendance with the later also delivering his own tribute speech and performance of his song “If It’s Magic.”
In other news, Hill previously performed ‘Killing Me Softly’ at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary show with Fugees compatriot Wyclef Jean. The moment was captured by Adele, who shared a clip of her singing along to the song.
The third Fugees member, Pras – who is currently facing 20 years in prison following a guilty verdict over his involvement in a money laundering scheme – recently declared that he’s “done” with the group.