Ronstadt hailed by Barack Obama

Singer Linda Ronstadt has been honoured with America's highest arts award, receiving her medal from President Barack Obama.

At a ceremony at the White House in Washington DC, Grammy winner Ronstadt, 68, was given the National Medal Of Arts for her contribution to music.

Described by the White House as someone who helped “pave the way for generations of women artists”, she was honoured for her “one-of-a-kind voice and her decades of remarkable music.”

Ronstadt last year confirmed she was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and said she’d never be able to sing again. She was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year but was unable to attend due to her illness.

She was brought into the White House by wheelchair, but walked to the stage to receive the award. As he presented Ronstadt with the award, President Obama admitted he “had a little crush on her back in the day.”

Ronstadt’s career was launched by folk group Stone Poneys before she started her solo career in 1968.

Some of her biggest hits were You’re No Good and It’s So Easy and she released more than 30 albums through the years. She has won 11 Grammys.

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