Whitney Houston is set to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The late soul singer — who tragically passed away at the age of 48 in 2012 — is one of six artists to be recognized for their contributions to music this year with the class of 2020 also including Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, T-Rex, The Doobie Brothers and deceased rap legend The Notorious B.I.G.
Additionally, Jon Landau and Irving Azoff, two of the most successful managers in rock history, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Houston, The Notorious B.I.G. — real name Christopher Wallace — and late Doobies drummers Michael Hossack and Keith Knudsen and every member of T. Rex — who were fronted by Marc Bolan — besides drummer Bill Legend, will be inducted posthumously.
The ceremony usually features performances from the inductees, but it is expected that there will be musical tributes to the artists no longer with us.
The six inductees beat the 10 other acts — Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motorhead, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy — who made it onto the ballot list but failed to get enough votes to make it through.
Nine Inch Nails got into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after making it onto the ballot three times and singer Trent Reznor admits he is “pretty freaked out” by the honor.
He said: “I’m pretty freaked out. I’m quite in shock. When I look back at how Nine Inch Nails are received, it always seems like we fall between the cracks. I don’t know if it’s a defense mechanism, but I just assumed we’d stay in that category, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see us acknowledged. It feels pretty good.”
Depeche Mode released a statement on behalf of all three members, Andy Fletcher, Martin Gore, and Dave Gahan, expressing their gratitude to the Hall of Fame and their fans who have supported them for the past 40 years.
Their statement read: “We’re honored to be included as one of this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and to stand alongside the other incredible acts in the Rock Hall and those joining this year. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us and our music over the years.”
There is now speculation that original Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke — who quit the group in 1981 and went on to form Yazoo and Erasure — could reunite with his bandmates for the induction as well as his replacement of keyboards Alan Wilder, who left in 1995.
The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 2, 2020, and will air live on HBO and the SiriusXM Rock & Roll Hall of Fame radio station.
