The Last Days of Donna Summer: Queen of Disco's daughter opens up on legend's final months
NAPLES, FLORIDA: Brooklyn Sudano, the youngest daughter of the late 'Queen of Disco' Donna Summer, remembers her mother in her later years. The 'Last Dance' singer died on May 17, 2012, around 14 months after receiving her lung cancer diagnosis.
Sudano spoke candidly to People about the mother she knew before she died in May 2012 for the upcoming HBO documentary 'Love to Love You, Donna Summer', and Mother's Day on Sunday, May 15. Sudano, 42, said of the 'I Feel Love' singer, "She and I spend a lot of time together during that period of time. And even for us, we were always very close, but I think there was a certain understanding that you have."
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'I did get to spend such a meaningful time with her'
Sudano said, "My mom was always so strong and so direct about how she wanted to do things. I think it was the first time where she allowed me to step up and care for her in a different way, and receive it. We're both really strong-willed. So, it was really an amazing... Hard time, but amazing time as well that we got to spend," according to People.
Sudano added, "I'm sure it's also part of the reason why I ended up doing this film, because I did get to spend such a meaningful time with her during that last year." Sudano claims that she gained a lot of "grace and understanding" for her mother through the making of this documentary and for the first time saw her as a "human being" rather than a parent.
Sudano said, "I understood she did the best she could with the tools that she had. After doing this film, I realized, 'Oh my gosh, she did amazing with all that she went through'. And I have so much more respect and love and appreciation for what she was able to give to my sisters and my family and me, not just in monetary terms, but emotionally and spiritually."
What will the documentary feature?
The documentary, which Sudano and Roger Ross Williams co-directed, gives "an in-depth look at the icon as she creates music that takes her from the avant-garde music scene in Germany, to the glitter and bright lights of dance clubs in New York, to worldwide acclaim, her voice and artistry becoming the defining soundtrack of an era," according to People.
The documentary description continued, "A deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, the film features a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage — often shot by Summer herself — and provides a rich window into the surprising range of her artistry, from songwriting to painting, while exploring the highs and lows of a life lived on the global stage."
The film will also feature never-before-seen home videos of Summer in her later years, which Williams and Sudano both thought would be a crucial focal point. It will be available for streaming on HBO and HBO Max on Saturday, May 20 at 8 pm ET.
'I think that there was a lot of joy'
Sudano pauses and reflects on her mother's joy in those final years. "She had joy in knowing that her family showed up for her and that... She wanted to keep it private. We all respected that, and it was hard to do that, but it was something that she felt she needed to have in order to fight the fight that she wanted to fight. So I think that there was a lot of joy, even in those tough moments for her," Sudano stated.