She had fallen asleep, and Summer accidentally jolted her awake when she went to the ladies' room. Add a caption. With "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical" on its way to its namesake's hometown, family members, teachers, and bandmates recall a singer whose talent was apparent from the start. [63][64], Singers and music industry professionals around the world reacted to Summer's death. Bogart tweaked the title to "Love to Love You Baby (song)|Love to Love You Baby", and Casablanca signed Summer, releasing the single in November 1975. [26] When the final sequence was filmed, Summer's daughter Mimi and her family members joined her on stage for "State of Independence". AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. I loved her records. Family. "The Power of One" is a theme song for the movie Pokmon: The Movie 2000. In 1978, Summer acted in the film Thank God It's Friday, the film met with modest success; the song "Last Dance", reached No. In 1989, this was "an issue. She died of lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 63. Donna Summer's family today held a memorial service to farewell the Queen of Disco. imported from Wikimedia project. [25] Summer was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Cold Love", and Best Inspirational Performance for "I Believe in Jesus" at the 1981 Grammy Awards. [67] Several hundred of Summer's friends and relatives attended the funeral, according to CNN. After the release of the On the Radio album, Summer wanted to branch out into other musical styles, which led to tensions between her and Casablanca Records. Love's Unkind (1977) I Remember Yesterday was another concept album, this time with each track . [39], On September 15, 2010, Summer appeared as a guest celebrity, singing alongside contestant Prince Poppycock, on the television show America's Got Talent. The couple had seven children, including the Grammy-winning singer. The Drifters cover "There Goes My Baby" reached No. Summer began work on her next project with Moroder and Bellotte, Bad Girls. Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby, Live on The Midnight Special 1976. #3. "[38], In August 2010, Summer released the single "To Paris With Love", co-written with Bruce Roberts and produced by Peter Stengaard. This image is not public domain. . 0 references. 40. Gallery 2: Donna Offstage. 'Last Dance', the hit song from soundtrack to the 1978 film Thank God It . Summer died on May 17, 2012, aged 63, at her home in Naples, Florida, from lung cancer. [14], She married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer in 1973, and gave birth to their daughter Natalia Pia Melanie "Mimi" Sommer,[15] the same year. I saw it when I was just a little kid. . 74 Likes, 2 Comments - Donna O'Reilly-Einemann (@donnaeinemann.douglaselliman) on Instagram: " out SPBC! share our stories with your audience. [53] Summer was also one of the founding members of Oasis Church in Los Angeles.[54]. To celebrate the late great Queen of Disco ahead of what would have been her 74th birthday on Dec. 31,Stackerscourednews and biography sitesto highlight25 facts about Donna Summer that help paint a fuller picture of her life beyond the disco ball. Moreover, Sudano also co-wrote the songs "Lucky" and "On My Honor" with Summer. She is the daughter of Summer and her first husband Helmut Sommer, an Austrian actor she met while touring and singing back-up in Germany. To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into Summer would again receive a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Donna Summer (LaDonna Adrian Gaines) was born on 31 December, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, is a Soundtrack, Actress, Composer. At the root of the problem are two different dads. The trio went on to define the disco music of the '70s. 1 hit for songwriter Jimmy Webb; the single went Gold and topped the charts for three weeks. [48] A couple of years later, she filed a lawsuit against New York magazine when it printed an old story about the rumors as fact, just as she was about to release her album Mistaken Identity in 1991. Wed, 02/22/2023 - 10:45am. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart for three weeks. 54,586. She scored two more UK hits from the album, "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" (UK No. She is also survived by a brother, Ricky Gaines, and four sisters . [59][60] However, some reports have instead attributed the cancer to Summer's smoking during her younger years, her continued exposure to second-hand smoking while performing in clubs well after she had quit, and a predisposition to this disease in the family. She touched many generations and will be sadly missed. Songs like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Hot Stuff" illuminate her tremendous songwriting and singing talent. Did you know that a sleeping bathroom attendant was the inspiration for "She Works Hard for the Money" or that she had a role in the TV series "Family Matters"? Summer's youngest daughters Brooklyn, 31 and Amanda, 28 were born to her second and latest husband, singer/songwriter Bruce Sudano. She Is Of Austrian-Afro Ethnicity. This ensures that the changes are preserved. Image Source: Youtube / LaChanze - Topic. With her family by her side, Summer died May 17, 2012, at her Key West, Fla., home after a long battle with cancer. Donna Summer's eldest child with her songwriting partner and husband Bruce Sudano is actress Brooklyn Sudano. Donna Summer had become a superstar. If your organization is interested in becoming a Stacker [5] She attended Boston's Jeremiah E. Burke High School where she performed in school musicals and was considered popular. Summer was upset with President Neil Bogart over the early release of the single "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", because Casablanca didn't wait until her previous single, "Dim All the Lights", had peaked; she had penned "Dim All the Lights" alone, and was hoping for a number-one hit as a songwriter. Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author. 3 on the Hot 100. object has role. The dramatic ballad was produced by David Foster and dance remixes were also issued to DJs and became another dance floor success for Summer, peaking at No. @spbc_ab #atlanticbeach #beach #beachislife #summer" 1 on the US dance charts, and No. 41 pop) and "The Woman in Me" (No. your CMS. In 1999 she . About her ethnic background, most sites report the 50 year-old has German and African heritages. "Queen of Disco" Donna Summer died today at the way-too-young age of 63 after losing a battle with cancer. She went to Germany to perform in the musical "Hair" when she was 18. Biography, Profession, Career, Education, and Life History When Donna Summer was born, the conditions in her home were not special. Summer also had "With Your Love" and "Je t'aime moi non plus", on the soundtrack. [14] In 1969, she issued the single "If You Walkin' Alone" on Philips Records. She would soon be working on her next album. The team released a few hits in Europe before launching Summer's career with the steamy hit song "Love to Love You Baby." LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 - May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter.She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.. In May 2012, it was announced that "I Feel Love" was included in the list of preserved recordings at the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Joined Dec 16, 2010 Messages 8,910 ", You may also like: 30 celebrities who have built massive businesses. But how did her personal life unfold? Billboard magazine reported that the week before she died, Summer sold about 1,000 albums. Bob was born July 1, 1944, in Cumberland, Wisconsin to Anna and Amedeo (Amy) Zappa. She was walked down the aisle half-way by her biological father, Helmut Sommer, and the rest of the way by her stepfather, Sudano, who raised her. Summer signed with Mercury/Polygram that same year, and in 1994 she re-teamed with producer Michael Omartian to record a Christmas album, Christmas Spirit, which included classic Christmas songs such as "O Holy Night" and "White Christmas" and three Summer-penned songs, "Christmas is Here", "Lamb of God" and the album's title track. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. The song "I Feel Love", reached No. Her daughters are pretty . [1] Sudano is the founder of indie record label, Purple Heart Recording Company. 1 on Billboard's album chart: Live and More, Bad Girls and On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II. Summer gave birth to daughters, Amanda and Brooklyn, in the early 1980s. Summer, Moroder and Bellotte wrote the song together, and together they worked on a demo version with Summer singing the song. She has been married to Mike McGlaflin since October 8, 2006, and they share a daughter. Zappa, Robert Amy died Tuesday, February 14, 2023, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Catalan Wikipedia. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. [42], On December 11, 2012, after four prior nominations, Summer was posthumously announced to be one of the 2013 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[43] and was inducted on April 18, 2013, at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater. Two of the singer's three daughters- Mimi, 39, and Brooklyn, 31 - have turned family life into a "disco inferno" as they claw it out to see who gets the most money. Donna . I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She would win another Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance for the song "Forgive Me". In 1979, she became a born-again Christian. Numerous artists consider Summer a major influence on their music, with the likes of Pet Shop Boys, Lizzo, Texas, Beyonc, and Kylie Minogue all sampling her songs. Donna Summer Family: -Mother: Mary Gaines. "[69] Quincy Jones wrote that Summer's voice was "the heartbeat and soundtrack of a generation. The song "He's a Rebel" would win Summer her third Grammy Award, this time for Best Inspirational Performance. The couple divorced in 1976, but Summer adopted a version of her ex-husband's surname as her stage name. Summer. Summer's inspiration for "She Works Hard for the Money" was a bathroom attendant named Onetta Johnson at LA's tony bistro Chasen's. It would be released years later in 1996, under the title I'm a Rainbow. Brooklyn Sudano, the second-eldest of Summer's three children, says it wasn't all glamour, though. Amanda Sudano and Mimi Dohler and four grandchildren. Summer performed at the world-televised Music for UNICEF Concert, joining contemporaries such as ABBA, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Rod Stewart, John Denver, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson for a TV special that raised funds and awareness for the world's children. The I Feel Love hitmaker - who passed away in Florida yesterday last week aged 63 - is being remembered in a . Unbeknownst to all but her immediate family, she spent the last years of her life battling lung cancer, which claimed her in 2012, at age 63. [72], Beyonc wrote a personal note: "Donna Summer made music that moved me both emotionally and physically to get up and dance. In 2004, Summer re-recorded the track with the Irish pop band Westlife (with a live performance) for the compilation album, DiscoMania. She was born in 1973 in Munich, Germany. Another hits collection, Endless Summer: Greatest Hits, was released featuring eighteen songs. She also charted two number-one singles on the R&B Singles chart in the US and a number-one single in the United Kingdom. They divorced in 1972, but she used the anglicized version of his name for her brand. This is a collection of pictures of Donna in concert. Released on the Sony BMG label Burgundy Records, it peaked at No. Summer's main objective for the album was that it have stronger R&B influences; Faltermeyer who had just finished doing the soundtracks to Top Gun and Fletch, was after a tough FM-oriented sound. Casablanca Records wasted no time releasing the follow-up album A Love Trilogy, featuring "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It". Summer earned a total of 42 hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 in her lifetime, with 14 of those reaching the top-ten. Her father, Andrew Gaines, was a butcher and her mother, Mary Gaines, was a schoolteacher. After her death that number increased to 26,000. "[69] Dolly Parton said, "Donna, like Whitney, was one of the greatest voices ever. Her father was a butcher, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Summer married Sudano in 1980. The musical duo has been touring the United States since. Summer recorded and delivered the album She Works Hard for the Money and Polygram released it on its Mercury imprint in 1983. Sudano co-founded the late '60s pop-rock band Alive N Kickin, which scored a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with Tighter, Tighter.. 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