Lauryn Hill & Stevie Wonder Lead Heartfelt Tribute to Roberta Flack

Harlem was filled with love and music on Monday (March 10) as legends Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder led a heartfelt tribute to the one and only Roberta Flack at her memorial service.

Hill, whose iconic take on Killing Me Softly With His Song made waves with the Fugees, was visibly moved as she honored Flack’s legacy. “Her existence was a form of resistance. I adore Ms. Roberta Flack. Roberta Flack is legend,” she told the crowd.

Then, in a moment that felt straight out of music history, Hill took the stage for a soul-stirring rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, followed by Killing Me Softly—this time with Wyclef Jean and Stevie Wonder adding his magic on harmonica.

Wonder then took over with his own tribute, performing If It’s Magic and I Can See The Sun. Reflecting on Flack’s impact, he shared: “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.”

Hill had already honored Flack last month after the singer’s passing at age 88. She recalled: “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.”

She continued, describing Flack as “cool and intelligent, gentle and yet militant,” and praising her songs for their beauty and depth. Hill also reflected on the song that tied them together: 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.”