Queen Latifah & Luther Vandross inducted in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Gayes! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially unveiled its 2026 inductees, and some of our faves, including Queen Latifah and the late Luther Vandross, made the cut.

After nearly four decades in the entertainment industry, the multifaceted actress/singer/rapper Queen Latifah is set to join fellow 1990s hip hop titans Salt-N-Peppa, Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and more as an inductee.

Latifah and are joined by fellow inductees MC Lyte, Sade, Wu-Tang Clan, Celia Cruz, Phil Collins, Luther Vandross and more.

“Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor. We look forward to celebrating these remarkable artists at this year’s ceremony — it’s going to be an unforgettable night”, Rock Hall chairman John Sykes said in a statement.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame called Latifah “one of hip-hop’s earliest female stars and a defining voice of its golden age.” They continued saying, “Her influence continues through decades of genre-crossing work in hip-hop, R&B, and film, solidifying her legacy as a barrier-breaking cultural force.

In a joint Instagram post between the Vandross estate and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they praised the late singer’s induction, calling him “one of the defining voices of his generation, creating some of the most enduring love songs in modern music”.

Vandross, who passed away in 2005, became eligible for induction back in 2006. Now, two decades later, he’s finally receiving his flowers, on his first attempt at being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class.

Earlier this year, David Gottlieb, who manages the Vandross estate, said the singer would likely have been elated had he been alive to receive the honor and would have reacted one or two ways. “The first would be very similar to when he won his first Grammy,” Gottlieb said. “You’d see Luther’s smiling face and then hear him singing a line from a song. Maybe ‘So Amazing’ or maybe he’d be riffing on ‘Bad Boy/Having a Party.’”

Since 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in Cleveland, Ohio, at the waters edge of Lake Erie, has recognized and honored influential musical artists, producers, and figures in rock and popular music genres.

In addition to being a coveted honorific title in the entertainment industry, the building, which is known for its giant glass pyramid silhouette, is home to a museum that features tributes to inducted artists, music memorabilia, and interactive exhibits for patrons.

How do artists find themselves in the conversation to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? The name of the game is simple: They must first meet eligibility requirements, which require an artist to be at least 25 years removed from their first commercial recording.

Next, a nominating committee made up of artists, music historians, and industry professionals selects a shortlist of 10-20 nominees each calendar year. Once the nominees are finalized, the same group that created the shortlist begins the voting process, joined by previously inducted artists.

The 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The televised ceremony will air on ABC and stream on Disney+ in December.