Rock and Roll Hall of Fame postpones induction ceremony

With its hometown under a civil emergency because of the novel coronavirus, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is postponing its biggest event.

The Hall of Fame will not hold this year’s induction ceremony in May, it announced Friday.

“The health and safety of our fans and visitors is our highest priority,” the organization told CNN in a statement. “Given recent news regarding coronavirus and the urging by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine regarding large public gatherings, we have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Induction Week festivities until later this year.”

This year’s inductees are Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex. Jon Landau and Irving Azoff are the recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is just the latest entertainment event to cancel or postpone in light of the coronavirus crisis.

The Hall of Fame cited Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s civil emergency proclamation this week “with the goal of minimizing the impact, severity and duration of Covid-19 as it spreads.” Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish also issued an emergency declaration, which the Hall of Fame cited among its reasons for postponing.

“Additional details, including new dates and ticket information, will be announced shortly and shared directly with ticket holders and supporters,” a news release about the postponement stated. “Details of the rescheduled HBO live broadcast of the event will be announced at a later date as well.”

Tickets purchased through Ticketmaster for the ceremony will be honored for the rescheduled date.