http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/conte ... ies-age-63

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco in the '70s and '80s, died Thursday morning after a battle with cancer, TMZ is reporting. She was 63.

Summer was reportedly in Florida at the time of her death. She had been trying to keep word of her illness secret as she finished up a new album.

TMZ reports Summer suffered from lung cancer, believed to be contracted by "inhaling toxic particles after the 9/11 attack in New York City."

Her family has released a statement saying they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continue legacy."

The 5-time Grammy winner (12-time nominee) scored iconic hits including Last Dance, Hot Stuff and Bad Girls. In the '80s, she scored mega-hits with On The Radio, She Works Hard for the Money, This Time I Know It's For Real and The Wanderer. She was also a formally trained painter who had made at least $1 million selling her original artwork.

"As a young girl, I didn’t know what fame was," she once told an interviewer. "I just thought fame was people knowing you. It's an end unto itself, which it should not be."

She is survived by her husband, three daughters, and four grandchildren, according to USA Today.

_________________
When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part - John Mayer

My father, Tony
Dx April 2000 with Esophageal cancer at age 60, Esophagectomy
07/04 Recurrence age 64, Radiation, Cisplatin and 5FU
07/12/07 Endoscopy biopsy shows esophageal cancer recurrence at age 67
08/15/07 PET & CAT scan show lung mass. Thought to be primary LC

On April 19, 2008 my father was reunited with my mother in Heaven. I miss him more than I ever could have imagined.

My Mother, Lois
Dx September 2004 with NSCLC, Renal Cell Carcinoma and brain mets at age 60

Mom passed away on December 12, 2006 after a long and courageous battle.
She never complained and she never gave up. I will love her and miss her forever.

My maternal grandmother, "Grandma Liz", lost her battle with NSCLC October 13, 1983