Donna Summer, the singer who perhaps more than any other defined the disco era, has died aged 63 of cancer.
Stars of the film and music industry paid tribute to the influential singer, whose tracks included I Feel Love and Hot Stuff.
The actor Liza Minelli said: "When you lose a friend you feel like they are gone forever ... that is not true with my dear friend Donna. She was a queen, the Queen of disco, and we will be dancing to her music forever. My thoughts and prayers are with her family always."
In a message posted on Facebook, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran praised her legacy and in particular the influence of one track. "For me, there is no doubt that her song I Feel Love had a dramatic effect on modern music. It was certainly a key influence on my work with Duran Duran." Along with producer Giorgio Moroder, she pioneered the use of electronic sequencers in dance music, Rhodes said. "Today that sound seems so familiar, but in 1977 it was a brave new frontier. It's extremely rare that you hear one song that completely changes the way you perceive music. I Feel Love achieved that."
Sir Elton John released a statement calling for broader recognition for the singer. "Her records sound as good today as they ever did," he said. "That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted. She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John Aids Foundation and I will miss her greatly." Kylie Minogue described her as "one of my earliest musical inspirations".
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer broke into the music business in her early 20s as a backing singer for Three Dog Night. Her first hit, Love to Love You Baby, reached the No 2 spot on the Billboard charts in 1976. The string of hit singles that followed – Could It Be Magic, Last Dance, Hot Stuff and, most notably, I Feel Love – revolutionised 1970s disco.
In an era of disco superstars that included Gloria Gaynor, the Bee Gees and the Village People, Summer stood out for a soulful delivery that expanded her appeal beyond the dancefloor. She scored her greatest successes with anthems of self-reliance and personal strength, her voice equally capable of fragility and defiant power. In the early 1980s, experiments with synthesizers and electronic drums carried Summer to new success. Her 1983 hit She Works Hard for the Money demonstrated that the queen of disco did not need a mirrorball to work her magic.
Summer's acting career included a role in Thank God It's Friday (1978), for which she performed her hit Last Dance. That song won Summer her first Grammy.
The singer Dionne Warwick expressed her sadness at losing a great performer and "dear friend". Warwick said in a statement: "My heart goes out to her husband and her children. Prayers will be said to keep them strong."
Madonna tweeted "rest in peace", and linked to a video of herself performing a song inspired by Summer's I Feel Love.
Summer had been living in Englewood, Florida. She had three daughters and four grandchildren. Her family released a statement saying they were "at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy".
While Summer's songs became gay anthems, her relationship with the gay community became strained when she became a born-again Christian. There was controversy when she was accused of making anti-gay comments in relation to the Aids epidemic; Summer allegedly said the disease was divine punishment for immoral behaviour. Summer denied making the comments, but was the target of a boycott. She later called the incident a "terrible misunderstanding" and asked for forgiveness.
Even as disco went out of vogue, her tracks remained a fixture in dance clubs. The depth of Summer's stamp on the zeitgeist was illustrated in a Republican presidential debate earlier this year, when candidate Herman Cain quoted her in his closing statement. "A poet once said, 'Life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line'." The words are from The Power of One, which Summer recorded as the theme song for Pokémon: The Movie 2000.
I Feel Love changed everything
This record is unquestionably one of the most important records in the history of music as we know it today.
It was released in 1977, which is a year that's supposed to be so important for punk, but along with Kraftwerk, it was this record that really changed everything.
The idea that dance music is about funk and about the groove was stripped away, and instead came something very robotic, this machine-like sound.
For a whole generation – for bands like the Human League – it was so important, and its influence on house music and techno and everything else that followed is immense.
I was asked to produce a record by a young pop star recently and the brief I was given was: "Make it sound like I Feel Love."
The record was produced by Georgio Moroder, and really it was his vision. But Summer had a background in musicals – she took a role in Hair – and she had that amazing ability to lose herself on her records.
She played the part incredibly, so there's no sense in which her contribution can be discounted. With that voice, you could never say she was just a vessel.
There are several other classic Donna Summer tunes: listen to the album Bad Girls, for instance. That still gets played, and tracks from it sampled and re-edited in clubs. Sure, she also made some bad records, and there were moments of controversy in her life – but after everything else, what does that matter? Joe Goddard
Joe Goddard is a member of Hot Chip
