LL Cool J, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan Receive Kennedy Center Honors

VIDEO: 2017 Kennedy Center Honorees

 
By Abby Hassler

(RADIO.COM) – This year's honorees for the 2017 Kennedy Center Annual Awards show are LL Cool J, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear and Carmen de Lavallade.

The artists for the 40th annual celebration were announced Thursday, August 3rd; the event will be held this December and broadcast on CBS, seen locally on KPIX 5.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein remarked that the Kennedy Center Honor acknowledges the outstanding careers of the five selected artists that have shaped American culture through their work.

"This is a truly exceptional slate of honorees – made even more special by the fact that we will honor these artists as we also celebrate four decades of the Kennedy Center Honors," Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter said. "Each of this year's honorees became known to and loved by the world because of their complete originality and bold genius. They are creators of the highest order, and as President Kennedy's living memorial, the Kennedy Center is so proud to shine a light on their boundless 'contributions to the human spirit.'"

The two-hour primetime special will be broadcast December 26th from the Kennedy Center Opera House stage. The program will feature performances from artists around the world.

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