Entertainment
Gloria Gaynor says her hit “I Will Survive” became a personal anthem of strength during one of her darkest times
Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” has been a motivational anthem for nearly five decades – but it didn’t just serve as inspiration for millions of fans. Gaynor told “CBS Mornings” the song gave her hope during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
After a fall on stage in 1978 at New York’s Beacon Theatre, Gaynor suffered a serious spinal injury and spent months in recovery. Many thought her career was over, but during that painful healing, she recorded what would become a smash hit, “I Will Survive.”
“I was living that song”
The song won a Grammy for best disco recording in 1980 – the only time that category existed. In 2016, it was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its cultural significance. Now, Gaynor is a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree for her lifetime artistic achievements.
The track was supposed to be a B-side, but Gaynor immediately knew it was a winner. When she was recording it, standing in a back brace, she felt a deep connection to the music
“[I was] hoping I’d survive, you know, this trauma that I was going through, hoping that I survived the fact that my mother had just passed away a few years prior. Yeah, I was living that song and I was certain that I wouldn’t be the only one,” she said.
The song became her anthem – and the world’s – with over 200 covers in more than 20 different languages. And, of course, it sparked several trends on social media.
Just a girl from Jersey
Before becoming the “queen of disco,” Gaynor was just a girl from Newark, New Jersey. Her talent went unnoticed until a neighbor heard her sing and she was called up to the stage at a club one night to perform.
She eventually worked the nightclub circuit. Her big break came from a meeting with legendary record executive Clive Davis, who helped propel her to the center of disco. Her 1975 debut album, “Never Can Say Goodbye,” was one of the first disco albums to top the charts, cracking the top 25 on the Billboard 200.
Early in her career, Gaynor said she was singing R&B but decided she really wanted to give people music to dance to.
“I remember that discotheques were very, very new. There were just a couple and what they were was cabaret clubs where they’d just taken away the chairs,” she recalled.
Her profile continued to grow as she toured the world. As disco faded in the 1980s, Gaynor kept performing around the world. Years later, she found a new purpose through faith and gospel music. Her 2019 album, “Testimony,” earned her a Grammy, proving her voice still inspires.
Lessons for new artists
Now, nearly 50 years after her rise to fame, Gaynor is honored with one of the nation’s highest distinctions: the Kennedy Center Honor.
“I got a phone call from my manager and I was ecstatic,” said Gaynor as she learned about the award. “It was incredible to even think about being accepted as one who deserved that.”
Gaynor is now parting her wisdom to new artists. Her top takeaway: Don’t set out to seek rewards.
” I would say to them, be about doing the best you can with what God gave you,” she said. “All of that stuff is extra. I didn’t strive to get a Grammy. I strive to do the best song I could do at that time. I strive to touch people’s hearts. I strive to uplift, encourage, and power people And so, be about that.”
Entertainment
How Khloé Kardashian, Lamar Odom marriage affected his ex Liza Morales
Liza Morales, Lamar Odom’s high school sweetheart, finally spoke out about the moment she found out that her ex got married to the reality star Khloé Kardashian.
“It was shocking. I couldn’t escape it,” Morales told PEOPLE.
She opened up just days before Netflix releases Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, a documentary about the basketball star’s life, fame, struggles and relationships.
A big part of the film looks back on his early romance with Morales.
The couple met in high school and Odom proposed to her when they were just 20 and they delayed marriage but went on to have three children together.
But tragedy happened in 2006 when their six-month-old son Jayden died from sudden terrifying syndrome.
The loss, however, left a heavy effect on their relationship and slowly, they went their separate ways.
The fashion designer went on to add that she was blindsided when Odom’s relationship with Khloé Kardashian became public in 2009.
“It was a text message and then a phone call from Lamar, ‘By the way, I’m getting married,’” she recalled.
“Then it was everywhere. It wasn’t just that he got married—it was how it happened. It was rushed, and it hurt.”
Still, Morales shared that she and Odom have reached to a better place now. “It took years. I had to work on myself and heal.”
Entertainment
Lee Sang-bo dies at 45: Funeral details revealed
Actor Lee Sang-bo, known for his roles in Bad Love, Miss Monte Cristo, and Graceful Empire, has died at the age of 44.
OSEN confirmed that Lee’s funeral has been arranged at Room 3 of the Central Funeral Hall in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
The funeral procession will depart on March 29 at 10:30 a.m., with burial to follow at the Pyeongtaek City Memorial Hall.
Who was Lee Sang-bo?
Born in 1981, the South Korean actor debuted in 2006 with KBS2’s Invisible Man Choi Jang-su and went on to appear in numerous dramas.
His career faced turbulence in 2022 when he was investigated for alleged drug use.
The case was later dismissed after forensic analysis confirmed he had been prescribed medication for depression.
Lee returned to acting with Graceful Empire in 2023, determined to rebuild his reputation.
In addition to acting, Lee recently opened a meat restaurant in Pyeongtaek, where he personally greeted and served customers.
Friends and patrons described him as warm and ‘friendly neighbour’.
Following his death, the restaurant has temporarily closed, with his cousin (co-manager of the restaurant) expressing grief over the loss, “My heart is heavy.”
Entertainment
Savannah Guthrie is returning to “Today” show on April 6, NBC says
“Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie will return to the program on April 6, host Hoda Kotb announced on the program’s Friday broadcast.
The investigation into the disappearance of Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, is still continuing. In an interview on “Today,” Savannah Guthrie made a tearful plea for someone “to do the right thing” and share information to help solve the case.
It has been nearly two months since authorities believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home after she was last seen on the night of Jan. 31.
In a portion of the interview with Kotb that aired Friday, Savannah Guthrie said she wants to return to the show “because it’s my family.”
“I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful,” Guthrie said.
She added, “I consider this my family, my greater family, and when times are hard, you want to be with your family and I want to be with my family. And so, I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try.”
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on Sunday, Feb. 1, the morning after she had dinner at her daughter Annie’s house and was dropped off back at her own home for the night. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told CBS News he believes she was abducted in the middle of the night, and he has also said family members and their spouses have all been ruled out as possible suspects.
Evidence later showed that a doorbell camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home disconnected at 1:47 a.m. Images and video retrieved from the camera system’s data and released by the FBI showed a man in a face mask, gloves and backpack at her door overnight.
No suspects have been named in the case. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. The FBI is also offering a separate reward of $100,000.
Savannah Guthrie’s appeals
Savannah Guthrie has made several appeals for people with information about her mother to come forward, including a tearful plea in a two-part interview this week on “Today.”
“We are in agony. We are in agony,” an emotional Guthrie told Kotb in a clip released Wednesday. “It is unbearable, and to think of what she went through, I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night, and in the darkness, I imagine her terror, and it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought.”
She and her siblings have also released video pleas on social media.
As authorities continued to search for her mother, Guthrie stepped back from her duties at NBC, including dropping out of hosting the network’s 2026 Winter Olympics broadcast last month.
“Someone needs to do the right thing,” Savannah Guthrie said in Wednesday’s clip. She also said, “I will not hide my face, but she needs to come home now.”
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