Donna summer album covers

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - The woman who personified the disco era of the 1970's and rose to fame with songs like 1975's "Love to Love You Baby," lost her long battle with cancer Thursday.

Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco," died at the age of 63.

Summer had been living in Florida with her husband, Bruce Sudano. She is survived by Sodano, their daughters, Brooklyn and Amanda, and Summer's daughter, Mimi, from a previous marriage.

Photos: Notable Deaths 2012 | Donna Summer 1948-2012

Her family released a statement Thursday saying Summer died and that "While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time."

WEB EXTRA - WCBS-FM's DAN TAYLOR REMEMBERS: DONNA SUMMER IN AN EXCLUSIVE 2003 INTERVIEW.

TMZ reported that Summer believed she contracted lung cancer by inhaling toxic particles after the 9/11 attack in New York City.

New York City was partially defined in the '70's and '80's by the thumpi

My friend Zac and I went to see the theatrical performance of “SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical” at The River Center in Columbus, Georgia back in January of 2022 and it was good!!! This is coming from someone who doesn’t really like musicals, but I liked some of the songs and learning about the life and times of the “Disco Queen.” The musical was about an hour and thirty minutes with no intermission and masks were required for audience members. The cast did a great job singing and portraying the different phases of her life. Also, the stage, set design, and lighting were nice too.

Donna Summer was a groundbreaking Grammy award-winning artist who paved the way for lots of women and broke barriers as a Black woman singing pop, electronic, and house music in the ’70s and ’80s. Born on December 31, 1948, LaDonna Adrian Gaines grew up one of seven children to a schoolteacher and butcher in Boston and sang at church growing up. As a teenager, Donna would skip school to go on auditions and eventually drop out of high school to do theater in New York. She eventually moved to Germany

Summer, Donna 1948–

Singer

Stage Career in Europe

First Star of Disco Era

A String of Hit Records

Moved in a New Direction

Became a Successful Painter

Selected discography

Sources

Like no other performer, Donna Summer personified the disco era during its zenith in the late 1970s. Working with a team of legendary European record producers, Summer wrote and recorded a string of hits that made her one of the most successful artists of the decade. She collected numerous gold records and awards during her prime, but her career was plagued by contractual and management problems during the 1980s.

Born in suburban Boston in 1948, LaDonna Andrea Gaines was one of seven siblings in a working-class household where church attendance and academic achievement were the rule. She began singing as a child in the gospel choir of her church, and was an especially devoted fan of gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. As a teenager, Summer sang in a Boston band called Crow, and shocked her family when she decided to move to New York City in order to find work on Broadway. At the age of 18, Summer

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