Vocalist Roberta Flack announced she has been diagnosed with the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and unfortunately the disease has become a struggle for Flack who performs for a living. According to Flack’s manager Suzanne Koga it is impossible for Flack to sing and speak.

For those who may not know ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease and it is named after the baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease which affects the nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. People who have ALS lose their strength and control of their muscles, slowly losing the ability to move, speak, eat and breathe.

Flack’s representatives wrote the following statement, “It will take a lot more than ALS to silence this icon.” In that spirit, she’s got a number of high-profile projects coming up, beginning with the documentary, Roberta. It covers her life and influence and premiers November 17th at DOCNYC, the world’s largest documentary film festival. Those who can’t be there in person can watch it from November 18 through the 27 via the festival website.