Duran Duran, Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo kick off Rock Hall of Fame gala

Duran Duran has kicked off the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a medley of their top hits, opening the concert gala where Dolly Parton and Eminem are also set to enter the prestigious institution.

Hall of Fame surveyed more than 1,000 musicians, historians and industry members to choose this year's entrants on Saturday.

The 2022 class was one of the hallowed institution's most eclectic in years, continuing a trend of bringing rappers, pop, R&B and country stars into the hall's fold.

Duran Duran met the moment with a best-of medley including "Girls On Film" and "Hungry Like The Wolf." But the British group also held a sombre moment for former member Andy Taylor. 

Frontman Simon Le Bon read an open letter from the guitarist that revealed he had been struggling with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer for years.

But Taylor said he was "sure as hell glad I'm around to see the day" the hitmakers made it into the rock pantheon.

They are joined by pop futurists Eurythmics, smooth rocker Lionel Richie, confessional lyricist Carly Simon and enduring rock duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo in entering the music pantheon.

Olivia Rodrigo, Eminem and more

The Cleveland-based Hall of Fame also doled out a number of inductions for special contributions to music including to Jimmy Iovine, a producer and one of the industry's master power players.

The man who co-founded Interscope Records and nurtured the careers of major artists including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem as well as Gwen Stefani was inducted by none other than one of his most successful proteges: Bruce Springsteen.

Janet Jackson appeared to grant top producer duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis a special induction for "musical excellence," as Alice Cooper did the same for metal forgers Judas Priest.

Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo took the stage to perform Simon's seminal 1970s hit "You're So Vain," as audience members including Brandi Carlile and LL Cool J bobbed their heads and belted out a sing-along.

Eminem, whose "The Marshall Mathers LP" is one of the best-selling albums of all time, gained the recognition in his first year of eligibility: acts can be inducted 25 years after their first commercial music release.

The rapper who is among pop's master provocateurs with a blistering flow joins fellow rappers including Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube and Grandmaster Flash along with his loyal producer and mentor Dr Dre in the hall.

Also honoured Saturday were Harry Belafonte and folk guitar trailblazer Elizabeth Cotten, who both received early influence awards.

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