Stars Who Lost Their Battle With Cancer

Cancer claims the life of Donna Summers, plus others.

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Gone Too Soon - Disco queen Donna Summer passed away from lung cancer Thursday morning. She was 63. Best known for her soaring vocals on hits including "Last Dance" and “She Works Hard for the Money,” the five-time Grammy award winner is one of many Black stars to succumb to the disease in recent years. BET.com looks back at other notables who left us too soon because of cancer. —Britt Middleton(Photo: Fotos International/Getty Images)

MCA - Adam Yauch — better known as MCA of Beastie Boys fame — passed away after a battle with cancer in 2012. Roughly a year later, a park in Brooklyn Heights was dedicated in his honor. Adam Yauch Park sits at Columbia Place and State Street in BK. (Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

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Adam Yauch - Better known as MCA of the groundbreaking hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch was also a tireless advocate for human rights, having been involved deeply in the Tibetan independence movement. He also wore the hat of filmmaker, producing many independent films through his New York City-based production company. Yauch died at age 47 on May 4, 2012, after a three-year fight with throat. (Photo: Mark Mainz/Getty Images)

"Waiting in Vain" - Bob Marley waited patiently for love on this song. "From the very first time I rest my eyes on you, girl /My heart says follow through/But I know, now, that I'm way down on your line/But the waiting feel is fine," he sang. (Photo: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

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Bob Marley - Legendary reggae star Bob Marley passed away from skin cancer on May 11, 1981, at the age of 36. Doctors discovered he had a malignant melanoma under the nail of one of his toes, but the musician refused to receive medical treatment due to religious beliefs.(Photo:  Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

Photo By Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

Boom: Walter Payton - Legendary running back Walter Payton was drafted to the Chicago Bears in 1975, and stayed with the team for 13 seasons. The former Jackson State University football star and NFL Hall of Famer retired from the NFL in 1987, having won Super Bowl XX with the Bears and setting records as the league’s all-time rusher (16,726 yards) and most touchdowns (110). In November 1999, he passed away from a rare autoimmune liver disease.  (Photo:  Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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Walter Payton - Walter Payton, arguably one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, succumbed to bile duct cancer on November 1, 1999. He was 45. The Hall of Famer also suffered from primary sclerosing cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease of liver, and spent his final months as an advocate for organ donation. (Photo:  Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Minnie Riperton, 'Inside My Love' - The gorgeous Rhodes-driven coda to Minnie's 1975 classic was first resurrected by A Tribe Called Quest for their "Lyrics to Go," and then was flipped by J. Dilla and many others.  (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Minnie Riperton  - Singer Minnie Riperton, the mother of Saturday Night Live alum Maya Rudolph, entranced audiences with her 1975 hit “Lovin’ You.” In 1976, Riperton announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. The treatment was unsuccessful and on July 12, 1979, she passed away at 31-years-old. (Photo:  Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Sammy Davis, Jr. - The iconic entertainer experienced his first brush with racism during a stint with the US Army in World War II. "Overnight, the world looked different," he explained. "It wasn't one color anymore."   (Photo: Gilles Petard/Redferns)

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Sammy Davis Jr.  - Sammy Davis, the famed vaudeville entertainer and member of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” passed away from throat cancer on May 16, 1990, at the age of 54.   (Photo: Gilles Petard/Redferns)

Stokely Carmichael - As a freshman at Howard University, Stokely Carmichael became involved in the civil rights movement in 1961. He took his first Freedom Ride through the South to protest segregation of interstate travel. He was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, and jailed for 49 days after entering a “whites only” bus stop. (Photo: David Fenton/Getty Images)

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Stokely Carmichael  - Civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael died from prostate cancer at the age of 57 on Nov. 15, 1998. Carmichael came to prominence in the 1960s during the civil rights movement and eventually became a top leader in the Black Panther Party, helping to popularize the group’s bold mantra, “Black Power.”(Photo:  David Fenton/Getty Images)

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Etta James - The blues and R&B trailblazer passed away on Jan. 20, 2012, after a long battle with chronic leukemia and reportedly also suffered from dementia and kidney failure. The “At Last” singer was 73. (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Redferns/Getty Images)

R.I.P. - The sports world mourned the loss of some of its brightest lights in 2011 – among them NFL Hall-of-Famers Bubba Smith, John Mackey, Al Davis and Lee Roy Selmon. But it was the death of former world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier on Nov. 7 that produced the biggest outpouring of feeling—including the appearance of the ailing Muhammad Ali, who journeyed to Frazier’s funeral in Philadelphia despite his own declining health, to pay his respects to Smokin’ Joe.(Photo: Philadelphia Daily News/MCT/Landov)

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Joe Frazier - At 67 years old, the boxing legend lost his battle with liver cancer on Nov. 7, 2011. At his peak, Smokin’ Joe dominated the ring with his devastating left hook and famously went three bouts with noted rival Muhammad Ali (Frazier losing two), including the famous “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975. (Photo: Philadelphia Daily News/MCT/Landov)

Nick Ashford: (5/4/41 – 8/22/11) - The music community lost a legend when Ashford died on August 22, 2011, in a New York City hospital after suffering from throat cancer. In a ceremony during BET Awards 2012, Nick Ashford was remembered for some of his contributions to music.(Photo: Shawn Ehlers/WireImage)

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Nick Ashford - Nick Ashford of Ashford & Simpson succumbed to throat cancer on August 23, 2011. He was 70. He and wife Valerie Simpson wrote soul classics for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and many others. (Photo: Shawn Ehlers/WireImage/Getty Images)

Naomi Sims - Striking beauty and a keen business sense were embodied in Naomi Sims, the woman credited as the first Black supermodel. After coming into fame in the 1960s, she retired from modeling in 1973 and began building a multi-million dollar empire through her successful wig company and numerous beauty books. She died at age 61 from breast cancer on Aug. 1, 2009. (Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images)

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Naomi Sims - Striking beauty and a keen business sense were embodied in Naomi Sims, the woman credited as the first Black supermodel. After coming into fame in the 1960s, she retired from modeling in 1973 and began building a multi-million dollar empire through her successful wig company and numerous beauty books. She died at age 61 from breast cancer on Aug. 1, 2009. (Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images)