The death of singer Donna Summer is being remembered on the cable news channels this afternoon. (Even ESPN News made mention, calling Kobe Bryant “the Donna Summer of the NBA. He works hard for the money.”)
Summer, 63, died of lung cancer this morning in Florida.
Summer, known as the Queen of Disco for her songs including “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” and “I Feel Love,” shared her own playlist with ABC’s “Nightline” a few years ago. It includes the first song she ever sang publicly: “I Found the Answer” by Mahalia Jackson.
“I opened my mouth and this voice just shot out of me,” she said. “It shocked me and it shocked everyone in the room. I started crying and everyone in the room started crying and I heard the voice of God say, ‘You’re going to be famous and this is power and you are never to misuse this power.'”