Disco Legend Donna Summer Dies At 63

Donna Summer, the legendary singer and 5-time Grammy award winner that catapulted synth-based disco into the national spotlight, has passed away this morning, according to TMZ. She was 63 years old and living in Florida, according to reports. The singer departs with a career responsible in great part for the creation of modern dance music, with singles such as “Love to Love You, Baby,” “Bad Girls,” and the first synth dance single, “I Feel Love.”

The report appeared on TMZ this morning:

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63 years old.

Sources close to Summer tell us … the singer was trying to keep the extent of her illness under wraps. We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago … who says she didn’t seem too bad.

In fact, we’re told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.

E! has corroborated her passing with a source from a friend. While the news is still quite new, and few in the media world have had a chance to respond to it, at least one political site has given her its highest honor:

Below, a classic performance of her hit “Last Dance,” from 1978:

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