Roberta Flack is unable to sing after ALS diagnosis

Grammy-winning instrumentalist Roberta Flack has been near incapable to sing aft being diagnosed with ALS, besides known arsenic Lou Gehrig's disease.

The "Killing Me Softly with His Song" performer is besides having trouble speaking, her manager said connected Monday.

Flack, 85, has won 4 Grammy awards and received 14 nominations.

A documentary astir her beingness is acceptable to premier adjacent week successful New York. She besides has plans to people a children's publication successful January.

In summation to Killing Me Softly - which was aboriginal covered by instrumentalist Lauren Hill - Flack is known for songs including "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face", which launched her to stardom aft it was utilized successful Clint Eastwood movie Play Misty for Me, and "Feel Like Makin' Love".

Her information - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - "has made it intolerable to sing and not casual to speak," her absorption said successful a statement.

"But it volition instrumentality a batch much than ALS to soundlessness this icon," they said, adding that she "plans to enactment progressive successful her philharmonic and originative pursuits".

There is nary known cure for ALS, which is besides known arsenic centrifugal neurone illness (MND). It is caused by the decease of the nerves that transportation messages from the encephalon to people's muscles. It affects their quality to move, speech and adjacent breathe.

The timing of Flack's movie and publication merchandise adjacent twelvemonth coincide with the 50th day of her 4th medium "Killing Me Softly With His Song", which was released successful 1973.

After the vocalist suffered a changeable successful 2016, she told the Associated Press quality bureau that wants her songs to beryllium remembered arsenic "classics" and and not conscionable an "old hit".

"I could sing immoderate fig of songs that I've recorded done the years, easily, I could sing them, but I'm going to prime those songs that determination me," Flack said.

"Now that's hard to do. To beryllium moved, to beryllium moved perpetually by your ain songs."