It has been 40 years in the making but Billy Idol has finally received a permanent fixture on Hollywood Blvd.
On Friday, ahead of the 40th anniversary of his self-titled album, the three-time Grammy Award nominee, 67, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"It really is crazy to find myself getting an award like this, or being honored in this way," Idol said during the ceremony, according to People magazine.
"I mean, 47 years of doing this after I started in Generation X, and 35 years after coming here, I just really could never have imagined anything like this," he continued.
"Initially, we did the music back in the mid-'70s during the punk rock time. There wasn't much hope or anything. We decided if there's nothing, there's no future, we're going to do what we love. And that's what I did. I did the music because I loved it. It wasn't for any other reason, really."
Idol added that he did not expect his career to take off, or to last as long as it did.
"I didn't really think doing this would last very long," he said. "We thought maybe six months, maybe a year, maybe two years. I could never have imagined something like this. It's just incredible."
Former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins, who was among various speakers to pay tribute to Idol, applauded the iconic rocker for staying authentic throughout the years.
"Billy Idol has rock n' roll in his veins, and punk rock in his DNA," Rollins said. "He's the real thing, and maybe that's why we're here today, 'cause decade after decade he has remained himself. And that takes a lot of guts and a lot of integrity."
Last year Idol released a new EP, "The Cage," ahead of a U.K. arena tour.
"We were pretty fired up by the fact that we hadn't played for a couple of years, and suddenly we were bursting on stage, and it kind of woke us up to what the next EP could be: that it could be a little more sturm und drang, a little more coming at you, a little more rock 'n' roll, a little more f— you!" he said at the time, according to NME.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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