Donna Summer just added another accolade to her legendary career — over a decade after her passing. The late “Queen of Disco” has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, celebrated at an intimate ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday. Family members, including Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano and their daughters, gathered alongside music industry peers to honor the five-time Grammy winner’s songwriting contributions.
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Paul Williams led the tribute and praised Summer’s impact. “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,” Williams said in his induction speech. Summer co-wrote many of her era-defining hits — from the sultry “Love to Love You Baby” to the empowering “She Works Hard for the Money” — and sold over 150 million records worldwide.
Sudano, who accepted the honor on his late wife’s behalf, said the Hall of Fame recognition carried special meaning for Summer. “With all the accolades she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing she felt was overlooked,” he noted. “So for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, I know she’s very happy somewhere.”
Summer died in 2012 at age 63, but her influence endures. Now, with her place among the greats immortalized in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the disco icon’s legacy lives on in music history.
