2012 continues to be the year the music died.
Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, passed away at 63 after struggling against lung cancer. She was a 5 time Grammy Award winner, who made a big splash during the 1970s with her iconic disco hits “Last Dance” and “Hot Stuff”. She continued her success during the 1980s with additional hits “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real”.
Summer was an incredibly successful recording artist. In fact, she was the first female artist to hit the charts with back-to-back multi-platinum albums. However, she was also a formally trained painter. She reported back in 2010 to Atlantic City Weekly that she sold her first painting for $38,000. She estimated that she sold nearly $1 million of her art work.
Apparently, Summer attributed her lung cancer to having breathed in toxic particles in the air after the 9/11 attacks. At that time, she lived in an apartment in New York Citynot far from Ground Zero. However, her lung cancer was more likely related to years of smoking and working in clubs where inhaling second hand smoke was a liability.
Summer is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, three daughters and four grandchildren. There has been no information about her estate at this point, although there are some rumors that she was working on another album at the time of her death—which may create some interesting property questions. Hopefully she took the time to do some estate planning to protect her legacy and fortune.
About Morris Hall:
At Morris Hall, we have focused our legal practice on estate planning for over 40 years. Along with estate planning, our attorneys help clients and their families with matters of probate, trust administration, wills, powers of attorney, business planning, succession planning, legacy planning, charitable gifting and other important legal aspects. We also have divisions in financial, real estate and accounting to help you incorporate all of your planning together, ensuring that everything works perfectly for your needs and situation. Our Arizona offices are located in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff and Arrowhead. Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment!
This blog should be used for informational purposes only. It does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader and should not be construed as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney in your community who can assess the specifics of your situation.
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