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Donna Summer Biography and Photos

Photo of Donna Summer with her head thrown back, crooning soulfully into a microphone in a spotlight

Disco queen Donna Summer has died at the very young age of 63. Cancer was the cause.

Editor Paul Hehn at the disco desk has posted a new Donna Summer biography. Key moment:

[In Germany] she met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, who helped her craft “Love to Love You Baby,” a 17-minute track of electronic beats and sexy moans that became one of the first big hits of the disco era. Summer went on to have consecutive platinum albums and top-charted hits, including “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance” and a remake of the 1960s hit “MacArthur Park.” 

“Sexy moans” is what they were, all right. But back in those days, you had to pretend that it was just random ooo-ing, not signifying anything in particular. That was before our modern frank-talkin’ days.

We’ve also posted a dozen photos of Donna Summer, including these two classics from 1982:

A photo of Donna Summer in a sparkly dress, holding up a microphone as she sings onstage

And…

A photo of Donna Summer in a leopard-print dress and crazy-big leopard-print sunglasses, hand on hip, singing onstage

Looking at those shots makes “On the Radio” run through my head.

So long, Ms. Summer, and thanks for all the tunes.

See our Donna Summer biography »

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