Travel Back in Time with Donna Summer in the Trailer for Her Upcoming Documentary — Watch (Exclusive)
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Love to Love You, Donna Summer will stream on HBO and HBO Max in May
Donna Summer fans need to "Stop, Look and Listen" because never-before-seen footage of the Disco Queen is coming your way.
In the trailer for Love to Love You, Donna Summer, premiering exclusively with PEOPLE on Friday, fans will get a glimpse of the legendary singer's rise to fame and personal struggles.
"I have a secret life. You look at people and what you see is not what I am," Summer — who died in 2012 at age 63 — says.
"She was complicated and struggled with her fame," a voiceover says in the clip, as another adds, "A lot of her life revolved around privacy and secrecy."
The documentary, directed by her daughter Brooklyn Sudano and Roger Ross Williams takes "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," per a release.
"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 description continues.
The film will be available to stream on May 20 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
Summer — whose hits like "I Feel Love" "Last Dance" and "Hot Stuff" ruled the disco era in the '70s — died after a short journey with lung cancer in May 2012.
At the time, her family confirmed the news in a statement saying that they "are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy."
"Words truly can't express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time," the statement continued.
A one-time backup singer for Three Dog Night, Summer, who was born LaDonna Gaines, hit the American charts with the sexually charged "Love to Love You Baby," released in 1975 amid controversy that it was too steamy for radio. The song gained popularity, though, and became a huge favorite in discotheques.
The five-time Grammy winner went on to release a string of dance-friendly songs whose overt sexuality clashed with Summer's strict Christian upbringing in a family of seven children in Boston.
"I Feel Love" became a top 10 single in 1977 and her disco interpretation of the ballad "MacArthur Park" in 1978 was her first number one song. "Last Dance" from the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack earned Summer her first Grammy.
But as Summer sang hit after hit she struggled with her meteoric fame and the fast life. She battled depression and anxiety, suffered an addiction to prescription medication and attempted suicide.
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Read the original article on People.
