Lionel Richie is to be honoured at this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards.
The ‘All Night Long’ hitmaker will be handed the Johnny Mercer Award – which is presented to those artists who "uphold the gold standard" of songwriting through their work – at the awards dinner in New York on June 9.
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, co-chairmen of the Songwriters Hall, said: "Lionel’s songs made you love and dance and will last forever in American culture; but he truly demonstrated the power of songwriting with his masterful co-writing of the global song ‘We Are The World’ with Michael Jackson."
Meanwhile, it was previously revealed that Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Tom Petty, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards and Chip Taylor would be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year.
Of the inductees, Kenny and Leon added: "The 2016 roster of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees is a beautiful mosaic of the best of late 20th Century popular music. With creators of Rock & Roll, Soul/R&B, Country and Funk/Dance represented, we are looking forward to an unforgettable and extremely exciting event and evening at the Marriott Marquis on June 9.
"With the exception of two, all of the 2016 inductees are alive and continue to be as vitally creative as ever. This year’s Induction and Awards Dinner will mark our first year as Chairmen at the SHOF helm and we could not be more excited about the quality and diversity of the songs and songwriters that will be honoured."
Lionel Richie to be honoured at Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards
