Pop singer Donna Summer has died today at the age of 63 in Florida. Her family cites a long battle with cancer as the cause – an illness Summer had kept secret.
Summer was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston in 1948. Like many other R&B/pop singers, she was largely influenced by the church and gospel music.
In the 1970s, Summer became known as the queen of disco, with hit songs "Hot Stuff," "Love to Love You Baby" and "Bad Girls."
She won five Grammy awards, and achieved three consecutive number-one double albums on the Billboard charts.
Read the CBC News obituary on Summer.
CBC Music will update this page throughout the day with more on the life and career of Donna Summer, including photos, artist reactions and stories.
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posted by
Jeanette Cabral
on May 17, 2012