--- title: Roberta Flack Remembers Close Friend Maya Angelou description: The acclaimed singer called Angelou a close friend as well as a collaborator — the two co-wrote a song for Flack's 1988 album, Oasis canonical: https://time.com/132808/roberta-flack-maya-angelou/ author: Nolan Feeney article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-28T22:43:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:05:43.676Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: R&B legend Roberta Flack remembers Maya Angelou og:description: The acclaimed singer called Angelou a close friend as well as a collaborator — the two co-wrote a song for Flack's 1988 album, Oasis og:url: https://time.com/132808/roberta-flack-maya-angelou/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt96026b6fb225c5ea/69869127adae44ad515434a7/maya-angelou-obit.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Maya Angelou 1992 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: R&B legend Roberta Flack remembers Maya Angelou twitter:description: The acclaimed singer called Angelou a close friend as well as a collaborator — the two co-wrote a song for Flack's 1988 album, Oasis twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt96026b6fb225c5ea/69869127adae44ad515434a7/maya-angelou-obit.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Roberta Flack Remembers Maya Angelou: 'We All Have Been Inspired' > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney May 28, 2014 10:43 PM UTC  American poet and writer Maya Angelou shown on Dec. 15, 1992 in Washington. American poet and writer Maya Angelou shown on Dec. 15, 1992 in Washington.Doug Mills—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney May 28, 2014 10:43 PM UTC R&B legend Roberta Flack remembers her close friend Maya Angelou, [who died today at age 86](http://time.com/123036/maya-angelou-a-hymn-to-human-endurance/), as a poet who inspired “generations \[to\] try harder and get up once more to fight for a better day, a better life and a better future.” “Thank you for your wisdom, for your unfailing strength, your courage and your honesty which have moved people around this world to a better place,” Flack said in a statement provided to TIME. “We all have been inspired by you to not give up when we otherwise might have.” The two artists weren’t just friends, they were also collaborators. Though Angelou is mostly known for her poetry, she had a brief music career as a singer-songwriter, releasing an album of calypso music in 1957, well before her writing career took off. For Flack’s 1988 album _Oasis_, Angelou co-wrote the song [“And So It Goes.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YEkNEvjeFw) “Thank you Maya, my friend. Your steady heart, humor and humility have been a touchstone for me through our friendship that has spanned so much of my life. I appreciate the roads we have walked together as friends, as artists and as women sharing our hopes, dreams, defeats and sorrows. I will miss you, my friend. 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