The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2026, welcoming an eclectic group of artists spanning heavy metal, soul, post-punk, hip-hop and pop. Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Oasis, Sade, Joy Division/New Order, Wu-Tang Clan and the late Luther Vandross will all be inducted at a ceremony on 14 November at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The list was unveiled on 13 April during a broadcast of American Idol. A television presentation will follow in December on ABC and Disney+.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame — a museum and institution based in Cleveland, Ohio, dedicated to honouring rock music and its cultural offshoots — artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior. Inductees are selected by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Collins, already enshrined as a member of the band Genesis, earns his second induction on the strength of a solo career that produced eight Grammy Awards and enduring hits such as In the Air Tonight and One More Night. Soul-jazz vocalist Sade, who had been nominated in 2024 without success, is recognised for defining a generation of sophisticated pop with tracks like Smooth Operator and The Sweetest Taboo. The Wu-Tang Clan, entering as first-time nominees, have long been celebrated as architects of modern hip-hop since their landmark 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Iron Maiden, twice nominated before, are acknowledged for driving the new wave of British heavy metal with albums such as The Number of the Beast, while Luther Vandross — who sold more than 25 million albums before his death in 2005 and recently inspired Kendrick Lamar and SZA's tribute track Luther — receives a posthumous honour.
The class of 2026 carries a notably strong Manchester flavour. Post-punk pioneers Joy Division and their successor band New Order, which share most of the same members, are inducted alongside Oasis, the Britpop icons formed by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher who recently reunited for a world tour. English rock provocateur Billy Idol, known for White Wedding and Rebel Yell, rounds out a performer category that cuts across decades and genres.
Beyond the main performer category, the Hall recognises contributions through three special designations. The early influence honour goes to rapper and actress Queen Latifah, Cuban salsa legend Celia Cruz, Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, rap trailblazer MC Lyte and country-rock artist Gram Parsons. The musical excellence award recognises songwriter Linda Creed and producers Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin. The Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award — named after the Atlantic Records founder and given to figures who shaped music outside of performing — goes to Ed Sullivan, the late television host whose Sunday-night variety programme served as a defining launchpad for artists from Elvis Presley to the Beatles and helped break racial barriers in American entertainment.
Notable names who fell short of induction this year include Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Jeff Buckley, Pink, Shakira and New Edition. Next year, the ceremony is set to return to the Hall's home city of Cleveland.