© Reuters. Honoree Dionne Warwick and her household attend the forty sixth Kennedy Heart Honors gala on the Kennedy Heart in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson
2/5
By Jeff Mason and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Washington celebrated singer Dionne Warwick, comic Billy Crystal, Bee Gees member Barry Gibb, rapper and actress Queen Latifah, and opera star Renée Fleming on Sunday on the Kennedy Heart Honors, the highest U.S. honor for achievements within the arts.
President Joe Biden lauded the work of the 5 performers throughout a reception on the White Home earlier than the present.
“The performing arts are more than just sound and scene. They reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings,” he mentioned.
The present kicked off with a tribute to Warwick, 82, a pop music star for the reason that Sixties who has offered greater than 100 million information and is thought for hits similar to “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” a 1985 tune she recorded with Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Surprise to lift consciousness about AIDS.
“There simply is no song that Dionne Warwick cannot sing,” mentioned file producer Clive Davis, including that she had “inspired musicians all over the world.” Singer Cynthia Erivo carried out a stirring model of Warwick’s tune “Alfie.”
Crystal, 75, recognized for starring roles in movies similar to “When Harry Met Sally,” “City Slickers,” and “Analyze This,” was subsequent up. Actors Meg Ryan and Robert De Niro appeared onstage to pay tribute to their pal.
“You’re only 75. That means you’re just about six years away from being the perfect age to be elected president,” De Niro quipped. Biden, 81, is working for re-election. The gang roared.
Crystal is a Tony- and Emmy-winning actor and author who hosted the Academy Awards 9 instances. Whoopi Goldberg, who additionally paid tribute to Crystal, mentioned he ought to win an honorary Oscar for his service because the longtime host of the awards present.
Subsequent up was Queen Latifah, 53, a musician and actress recognized for movies together with “Chicago” and “Bringing Down the House,” who received a Grammy Award for Greatest Solo Rap Efficiency in 1994.
Actress Kerry Washington mentioned she was one of many “best rappers of all time.”
Fleming, 64, is an acclaimed soprano who has carried out at opera homes world wide and picked up 5 Grammy Awards.
“It’s wild,” to be an honoree, Fleming mentioned. “It’s all joy.”
Gibb, 77, a singer and songwriter who carried out together with his brothers Robin and Maurice within the Bee Gees, has offered greater than 220 million information. He has received 9 Grammy Awards and, as a part of the group, is thought for songs similar to “Stayin’ Alive” and “How Deep Is Your Love.”
He informed reporters forward of the present that he felt the presence of his brothers, each of whom have died.
“It’s very emotional,” he mentioned. “What we all did together – when we were good, when we were on – that was something to be proud of.”
The present, which was recorded, can be broadcast by U.S. tv community CBS on December 27.
(This story has been refiled so as to add a dropped letter within the headline)
