NEW YORK — There are giants, and then there are Donna Summer. The queen of disco, and then some others, known for such timeless tunes as “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Light,” “On the Radio” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” were posthumously inducted. Songwriters Hall of Fame, – said the audience.
Summer, who died in 2012 at age 63, was welcomed into Songwriters Hall on Monday in a ceremony at The Butterfly Room at Cecconi's in Los Angeles. It was led by Oscar winner Paul Williams. Summer's husband Bruce Sudano and their daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez attended the ceremony.
“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the greatest songwriters of all time who changed music course” Williams said in a statement. “She wrote timeless and transcendental songs that continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, most of all, to feel love.”
Summer gentle mixture R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and electronica produced numerous chart-topping hits in the '70s and '80s, as well as three multi-platinum albums. She won five Grammy. She was unstoppable – both as a performer and as a writer.
“This is important to me because I know how important this was to Donna,” Sudano said in a press release. “The backstory is that despite all the accolades she's received throughout her career, respect as a songwriter has always been something she feels has been overlooked. So I know that for her to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, she's very happy… somewhere.”
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969. A songwriter with a notable song catalog is eligible for induction 20 years after the song's first commercial release.
The annual Songwriters Hall of Fame gala does not typically include a posthumous induction; they are reserved for individual events.
Songwriter Pete Bellotte, known for his work with Summer on “Hot Stuff”, “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You Baby” – is a current candidate for the Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2026. “Love To Love You Baby” was co-written and produced by Summer. George Moroder. One of the most famous hits of the Summer, the song was sampled many times, including in the tracks Beyonce, LL Cool J and Timbaland.
The 2026 inductees will be announced in early 2026.
