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| Donna Summer: 1948-2012 |
Donna Summer, the legendary singer who rose to fame during the Disco Era in the late-70s and early-80s, has died at the age of 63, after a long battle with cancer.
The singer burst onto the scene in the hedonistic heyday of Disco music, charting her first Number One, the tantalizingly erotic "Love to Love You, Baby", in 1975. She would follow up that dance club classic with an unprecedented string of 19 Number One songs on the Dance Chart, more than fellow superstar Madonna.
Summer was the undisputed Queen of Disco and was the only artist to have three consecutive double-LPs hit Number One on the charts, Live and More, Bad Girls and On the Radio. She would go on to win five Grammy Awards for her efforts.
After Disco music lost favor with the public, Summer would re-invent herself in 1983, reclaiming Number One on the Pop charts with her feminist anthem "She Works Hard for the Money" which would go on to become her biggest hit. She would record a country album later in her career, and had an international hit with Italian opera star Andrea Bocelli, "Con Te Partiro/I Will Go With You" in 1999.
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston, Massachusetts, she was one of seven children. She was raised in the church, where she first found her voice in a gospel choir. After finishing high school, she moved to New York City, where a talent agent discovered her natural beauty and amazing voice, casting her in the German production of the hit play Hair.
Summer passed away at her vacation home in Englewood, Florida. She is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, three daughters and four grandchildren.
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