Donna Summer shining again with 'Love to Love You Baby' documentary and 'Hot Stuff' auction
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Almost half a century after her first hit was released and more than a decade after her death, Donna Summer is having another moment to shine. The late singer is the subject of a new documentary and her three daughters have helped to organize an online auction of some of her memorabilia.
Hits like "Love to Love You Baby" were part of the soundtrack of my youth when I disco-danced to her music, which was unforgettable because nobody sounded quite like Summer. "I want some hot stuff, baby," she once sang. Now, some of her stuff is for sale at Christie's auction house in Manhattan. "I think there's really something for everybody," her daughter Brooklyn Sudano told me via Zoom from LA about the online sale that runs through Thursday, June 29th.
Christopher June, who helped organize this auction, told me, "We have some very reasonably priced objects perfect for any fan who wants to bring home a little piece of Donna Summer home with them." The stuff her dreams were made of includes souvenirs from the music business like gold records and works of art she painted herself along with clothing she wore. "This is a fantastic piece in the collection," says June while showing me one garment. "Fully beaded, rhinestone. It's very heavy to put on, and this was worn by Donna Summer for the music video for "Unconditional Love" in 1983."
The decision to give up these family heirlooms was not made lightly, especially when it came to the hand-written lyrics to Summer's hits, "because for me those really are a snapshot of her artistry," says her daughter. Some of the lyrics are for sale. Others are being kept by the star's three daughters who are shown with their famous mom in a recent HBO documentary co-directed by Sudano.
Summer's fans were on the minds of her heirs when determining what to sell and what to keep. "We can share," Brooklyn Sudano tells me. "Somebody else would get a lot of joy out of this." Many of the items have been bid to hundreds, not thousands of dollars, making them more affordable than most of the items Christi's sells. Details of how to bid are here: https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/collection-donna-summer/lots/3486
ALSO READ | 'Gender Cool' highlights positive stories of trans youth
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
