02:37 PM EDT 05/31/2012
Tributes
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Yale Student's Essay Goes Viral After Her Death
Originally posted 05/30/2012 11:00AM
With a world that seemed full of promise, graduating senior Marina Keegan wrote in her final column for the Yale Daily News that her fellow classmates should overcome any fears they might have, pursue their dreams and embrace the sense of community that had developed among them in their four years at college together.
As reported by Time, that essay – which was published in a special edition of the school paper distributed at commencement – has now gone viral, in large part because of the tragedy that ensued.
Keegan, 22, was killed in a car accident last weekend, days after graduating and immediately before she was to begin her new life in New York City and her dream job, working for The New Yorker magazine as an editorial assistant.
Barry Gibb Pays Tribute to Brother Robin
Originally posted 05/23/2012 09:45AM
Tributes have been pouring in for the late Robin Gibb, but few more moving than a video posted Tuesday on YouTube by Gibb's older brother and Bee Gees bandmate, Barry.
The remembrance, set to the Bee Gees' "Heart Like Mine," was posted with the title "Bodding," which was Robin's nickname, according to the Daily Mirror.
Gibb died last weekend at age 62.
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Remembering Robin Gibb: BeeGees Playlist
Originally posted 05/21/2012 10:45AM
Robin Gibb, who passed away after a long battle with cancer on Sunday, left behind a lifetime of music.
Gibb, 62, was one of the founding members of the Bee Gees, along with his twin brother Maurice and brother Barry.
The band was best known for their disco era songs from the late 1960s and earlu 1970s, particularly the music featured on the hit soundtrack for the John Travolta classing Saturday Night Fever.
Take a walk down memory lane with some of Gibb's biggest hits.
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Donna Summer Died of Lung Cancer
Originally posted 05/18/2012 01:45PM
Although it was announced that Donna Summer's death on Thursday was due to cancer, in some quarters it was speculated that it may have been breast cancer.
That was not the case, her family says in a statment, giving the cause of death as lung cancer, while also clarifying that her cancer "was not related to smoking."
"Ms. Summer was a non-smoker," says the statement. "Obviously, numerous factors can be attributed to the cause of cancer in general, but any details regarding the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Ms. Summer's case remain between her family and team of doctors."
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Donna Summer Dies: Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin Mourn Her Passing
Originally posted 05/17/2012 06:45PM
Following the sad news on Thursday that disco legend Donna Summer lost her battle with cancer, celebrity fans have expressed their appreciation for the singer.
"So shocking to hear about the passing of Donna Summer," Aretha Franklin said in a statement. "In the '70s, she reigned over the disco era and kept the disco jumping. Who will forget, 'Last Dance?' [She was] a fine performer and a very nice person."
Barbra Streisand said she was "shocked" to hear about the death of Summer, 63, who never let on to the public that she was so sick.
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Remembering Donna Summer: Listen to Her Greatest Hits
Originally posted 05/17/2012 01:00PM
From frisky anthems like "Bad Girls" and "Hot Stuff" to club anthem "Last Dance," Donna Summer provided the soundtrack to the '70s.
Now, PEOPLE honors the late singer, who died May 17 after a battle with cancer, with a Spotify playlist of her most memorable songs.
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Donna Summer Is Dead
Originally posted 05/17/2012 12:10PM
Donna Summer, whose pulsating hits "I Feel Love," "Last Dance" and "MacArthur Park" provided the disco soundtrack for the 1970s, has died at age 63.
Her family confirmed Summer's death, saying in a statement 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 onetime 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.
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Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go, Dies at 75
Originally posted 05/17/2012 07:45AM
Chuck Brown, who fused funk, soul and Latin sounds into an entirely new party music called go-go in Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, has died at 75 after suffering pneumonia.
Brown, a guitarist, singer and songwriter affectionately dubbed the "godfather of go-go," died Wednesday from complications of sepsis at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, the Washington Post reports. He had been hospitalized since April 18.
Go-go music was a point of pride for black Washingtonians, and Brown – an ex-con who became one of the city's most beloved figures – remained its most charismatic performer. He performed less often but still regularly in his final years.
Mitchell Guist Flashback: The Swamp People Star Makes Gumbo
Originally posted 05/15/2012 04:30PM
Swamp People fans can pay homage to the late Mitchell Guist in their own kitchens. (If they like the taste of venison and rabbit meat, that is.)
In memory of Guist, who died Monday at 48 in Louisiana from unreported causes after falling from his boat, PEOPLE.com is revisiting one of the most memorable moments from the History Channel show, in which the Guist brothers whip up gumbo for their dinner guests in an episode that aired last November.
"Hey Glenn, we got people coming over tonight, huh?" Mitchell, who was one of the alligator hunters the show followed, says to his brother. "What do you want to do with that rabbit sausage?"
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Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Bassist in Booker T. and the MGs, Dies
Originally posted 05/14/2012 08:25AM
Donald "Duck" Dunn, the bass player credited for the gritty sound behind such soul legends as Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Dave and Otis Redding, has died, his family announced. He was 70
Son Jeff Dunn told CNN his father died in his sleep in Tokyo after performing concerts that had been postponed after the 2011 Japanese earthquake.
"They were over there doing five shows in a row, two shows every night – and for a 70-year-old guy, that was quite a bit of work," said Jeff Dunn.
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