Disco Queen Donna Summer Dead at 63

[jon]

Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dead at 63
by Billboard Staff
May 17, 2012 12:10 EDT

Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco" and one of the most successful recording artists of the 1970s and 1980s, died Thursday (May 17) at the age of 63, sources tell TMZ. The singer had cancer and was in Florida at the time of her death, according to the site.

The news has not been confirmed by a spokesperson, though fellow Disco royalty have been reacting to the news on Twitter.

"For the last half hour or so I've been lying in my bed crying and stunned," Chic hitmaker Nile Rodgers wrote. "Donna Summer RIP."

Born LaDonna Gaines, the singer released her first single, "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," in 1971 under the name Donna Gaines. She switched to Summer by the time her first chart hit, the breathy, sexualized "Love to Love You Baby" hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1975.

Dance and R&B hits followed with "Could It Be Magic" (1975), "I Feel Love" (1977), "Last Dance" (1978) and the No. 1 Disco classic "Hot Stuff" (1979).

By 1980, she began evolving her sound and incorporated new wave with the No. 3 single "The Wanderer." Her biggest of the decade of excess was the dance anthem "She Works Hard for the Money," which reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart in 1983.

Summer won five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards and was the first African American woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award, for "She Works Hard for the Money."

She is survived by her husband, three daughters, and four grandchildren.

This is a developing story... For the latest updates, click here: http://www.billboard.com/news/donna-sum ... 4752.story

[Anotherwpgguy]

That's really too bad, and I'm saddened. She had a great voice and I always enjoyed playing her stuff at studio monitor voice-coil busting levels.

My personal favourites were "Bad Girls," and for us broadcasting types, her song "On The Radio" always resonated with me.

I can only hope that in the last period of her life that the pain was manageable. Cancer is the scourge of our having extended our lives over the last few hundred years.

Bad Girls .... http://youtu.be/DlJ2u-dou8E

On the Radio .... http://youtu.be/LHRalpos8wU

Another Winnipeg Guy

[crs]

I haven't been this sad about a celebrity passing since John Candy. Donna Summer was an incredible talent. My family is in trouble now, just downloaded the 20th Century Masters CD of Donna Summer for $5....let the long weekend tribute begin!

[crs]

yet Keith Richards keeps on ticking...hardly seems fair! LOL

[hagopian]

Played the grooves outa many of Donna Summer tunes - and I was taken aback by her passing. Ms. Summer represented an era....now, fading with the glow gone from an incredibly gifted singer. Her choice of material was married with great production.
I totally agree with AWG, " On The Radio" was a tune that snuck up on me. I have it on my Iphone and listened today and felt a real pang of loss.
Thank you, Donna Summer. RIP.