There are giants, after which there’s Donna Summer. The Queen of Disco after which some, identified for such timeless tunes as “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the corridor mentioned.
Summer, who died in 2012 at age 63, was welcomed into the Songwriters Hall on Monday at a ceremony at The Butterfly Room at Cecconi’s in Los Angeles. It was led by Academy Award-winning songwriter Paul Williams. Summer’s husband, Bruce Sudano and their daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez have been in attendance.
“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the great songwriters of all time who changed the course of music,” mentioned Williams in an announcement. “She wrote timeless and transcendent songs that continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, above all, feel love.”
Summer’s easy mix of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and electronica launched quite a few chart-topping hits within the ‘70s and ’80s in addition to three multiplatinum albums. She received 5 Grammys. She was unstoppable — each as a performer and a author.
“It’s important to me because I know how important it was for Donna,” mentioned Sudano in a press launch. “The backstory is, with all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked. So, for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame I know that she’s very happy … somewhere.”
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the primary industrial launch of a tune.
The annual Songwriters Hall of Fame gala doesn’t often embrace posthumous inductions; these are reserved for separate occasions.
Songwriter Pete Bellotte — identified for his work with Summer on “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby” — is a present nominee for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame class. “Love To Love You Baby” was co-written with Summer and producer Giorgio Moroder. One of Summer’s best-known hits, the tune has been sampled many occasions, together with in tracks by Beyoncé, LL Cool J and Timbaland.
The 2026 inductees will likely be introduced early subsequent yr.
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