Disco Legend Viola Wills Dies At 69

A sad day for disco lovers. Legendary gay icon Viola Wills has died at age 69. From her site:

It is with great sadness that Vi's family report Viola passed peacefully away after a long illness, May 6th 8.27am Pacific Time. Viola leaves behind six children - Vincent, Christopher, Regina, La Donna, David and Rejal, 21 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Viola's favourite saying to her family was always "Aim for the sky and always dare to dream" Vi's service will be held at the Angeles Memorial Park, 1515 E Compton Blvd, Compton, Ca, 90221 at 11.30 on May 15 2009 - all are welcome. On Viola's behalf her family wish a special heartfelt thanks to all of Vi's fans over the years, whom, Vi always said, allowed her dreams to come true.

I was lucky enough to see several of Viola's club performances, including at Fort Lauderdale's Marlin Beach Hotel in 1982 and the following spring at Backstreet, where my crew and I got to chat with her out by the pool. Nice lady. Here's a few of my favorites from Viola Wills.