Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan lead 2017 Kennedy Center honorees

Musician Lionel Richie poses for a portrait while promoting his upcoming North American tour in Burbank, California U.S., June 7, 2017. Picture taken June, 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran musician Lionel Richie, hip-hop star and actor LL Cool J and Cuban-American singer and actress Gloria Estefan will receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors this year, CBS network said Thursday.

The 40th Kennedy Center Honors, to air on CBS on Dec. 26, is one of the highest awards in American culture, celebrating lifetime achievements through the performing arts.

Other 2017 honorees are television writer-producer Norman Lear and dancer, choreographer and actress Carmen de Lavallade.

FILE PHOTO: A combination photo showing the 2017 Kennedy Center Honorees: Actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade (L to R), singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, hip-hop artist LL COOL J, television writer and producer Norman Lear and musician and record producer Lionel Richie. REUTERS/Staff/File Photos

“The Kennedy Center Honors spotlights the extraordinary careers of five artists whose talent and ingenuity have enriched and shaped cultural life in America,” David M. Rubenstein, chairman of the Kennedy Center, said in a statement.

The awards will be presented at a gala at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center Opera House on Dec. 3, and is expected to be attended by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

Gloria Estefan performs during a concert in Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York, U.S. December 31, 2016. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by James Dalgleish)

2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards - Arrivals – Los Angeles, U.S., 07/05/2017 – Rapper LL Cool J. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok - RTS15L31