In Memoriam
Donna Summer
December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012 · aged 63
Disco · R&B · Pop · Dance
LaDonna Adrian Gaines, known to the world as Donna Summer, was the undisputed Queen of Disco and a primary architect of modern electronic dance music. Born in Boston in 1948, she relocated to Germany in the late 1960s, where she eventually teamed up with visionary producer Giorgio Moroder. Together, they released the 1977 masterpiece 'I Feel Love.' Driven entirely by a pulsating, synthesized backing track, the song revolutionized club music and laid the direct foundation for house, techno, and synth-pop. Summer was much more than a studio creation; she possessed a powerful, gospel-trained voice that dominated the charts with anthems like 'Hot Stuff' and 'Bad Girls,' becoming the first artist to score three consecutive double-albums at number one in the US. A devout Christian in her later years, she quietly battled lung cancer and passed away on May 17, 2012, at the age of 63. Her synthesized heartbeat continues to pulse through every electronic dance track today.
Milestones
I Feel Love, Hot Stuff, Bad Girls
Also remembered in 2012
- Adam Yauch (MCA) (1964–2012)
- Davy Jones (1945–2012)
- Etta James (1938–2012)
- Whitney Houston (1963–2012)