Lauryn Hill delivered a heartfelt tribute to Roberta Flack at her Celebration of Life memorial in Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church.
Lauryn Hill captivated mourners and music legends alike throughout her stirring tribute at Roberta Flack’s “Celebration of Life” memorial on the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York Metropolis’s Harlem neighborhood on Monday (March 10).
Hill, whose profession owes a lot inspiration to Flack’s soulful legacy, delivered heartfelt back-to-back performances of two Flack classics she has lined all through her profession: “The First Time Ever I Noticed Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Track.”
Fellow Fugee Wyclef Jean joined Hill onstage on the star-studded gathering.
Legendary musician Stevie Marvel, whose profession intersected continuously with Flack’s, provided heartfelt musical homage with a shifting efficiency of “If It’s Magic.”
He adopted up with a private composition he penned for Flack in 1975 titled “I Can See the Solar in Late December.”
Marvel, who famously misplaced his imaginative and prescient shortly after start, spoke of the late singer’s profound humanity, remarking warmly that he “noticed her coronary heart” regardless of by no means having seen her bodily.
Al Sharpton Delivers Eulogy For Roberta Flack
Rev. Al Sharpton paid tribute to Flack and her legacy throughout his poignant eulogy. He described the late singer as an artist who had “offered a soundtrack to Black dignity.”
Different attendees included trade heavyweights Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick, India Arie and Alicia Keys, every paying their respects to a lady famend for seamlessly fusing soul, jazz, gospel and folks into unforgettable melodies.
Extra musical tributes featured choral renditions of religious hymns like “Wonderful Grace” and an instrumental efficiency by Berklee Faculty of Music’s Nebulous String Quartet.
A big display projected clips all through the service highlighting Flack’s illustrious profession milestones and private moments.
The memorial program prominently featured Roberta Flack’s personal phrases: “At all times stroll within the mild. For those who really feel such as you’re not strolling in it, go discover it. Love the Mild.”
The ceremony was broadcast reside on RobertaFlack.com and YouTube, permitting admirers worldwide to hitch the poignant farewell to the music icon, who handed away at age 88 from cardiac arrest following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
