Donna Summer's former manager Joyce Trabulus was stunned by the disco diva's death on Thursday (17May12) - because she had no idea the singer had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Hot Stuff hitmaker secretly battled lung cancer for 10 months, but only her family knew about the medical crisis.
And Trabulus, who looked after Summer at the height of her disco fame in the 1970s, insists the star showed no signs of illness when they last met up towards the end of last year (11).
But the manager reveals it was in the singer's nature to keep her personal troubles a secret.
In an interview on U.S. breakfast show Today on Friday (18May12), Trabulus said, "I was very surprised (to learn she had cancer). Shocked, really. And I understand why she didn't.
"She wanted privacy, she was a very private person and wanted to be with her family and I think she would not have had the opportunity to keep going with all the projects she was doing.
"No grass ever grew under Donna's feet, she was always doing something - working on a Broadway play, writing songs, writing a movie, and she wanted time to be with her family and do that. And also she was a woman of faith, so I think she put her faith in God and thought, 'I'm just gonna live my life'."
Summer's Grammy-winning producer Evan Bogart also appeared on the Today show on Friday and shared his memories of working with the legend, stating, "She was just so talented and she knows what she wants (sic) and was such a great songwriter and obviously her voice, just the most amazing voice of all time."