Local Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer Jimi Hendrix receives state's highest medal
From a young boy raised in poverty in Seattle to close out the original Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 to landing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, 2025 marks the year Jimi Hendrix receives the Washington State Medal of Merit and Valor.
According to a press release from Washington State's Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the posthumous honor was awarded to Hendrix as a 'national and international recognition.'
Hendrix started playing guitar at 15 after finding a discarded ukulele with only one string. He taught himself how to play by ear, and one of the first songs he learned was Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog.' Twelve years later, at the age of 27, Hendrix passed away after a night of partying. In his short time performing, he rose to be one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in history and has accumulated a library of awards and recognitions, including a nUSPS commemorative postage stamp.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Governor Bob Ferguson, Lt. Governor Denny Heck, and State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos presented the awards to Hendrix and four members of the Department of Ecology.
'These five worthy recipients are the best of Washington and well deserving of our highest awards,' Hobbs said. 'They represent the good people of our state through their actions, their impact, and their inspiration for Washington, the nation, and the world. We are forever grateful for their contributions.'
Hendrix was posthumously awarded the Medal of Merit for his outstanding service to Washington.
Alex Hernandez, Lisa Stingley, Dave Thompson, and Jon Tollstrup received the Medal of Valor for their courageous actions on October 3, 2024. While working on a litter crew for the Department of Ecology, they rescued a woman from a burning vehicle after she crashed on the side of the highway. Despite the risk to their own safety, they extinguished the flames and forced open the driver's door, pulling her to safety just before the fire engulfed the car.
The Medal of Merit honors those who have given a lifetime of service to the people of Washington, while the Medal of Valor recognizes individuals who have risked their lives to save another person. The Medal of Valor cannot be awarded to first responders whose actions are part of their public duties.
Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Metallica Remember Their Friend Ozzy Osbourne: ‘Hero, Icon, Pioneer, Inspiration, Mentor'
Metallica have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, whom they credit for giving them their big break. The musician died on Tuesday morning at the age of 76. 'It's impossible to put into words what Ozzy Osbourne has meant to Metallica. Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend are a few that come to mind,' the band wrote in a statement on Instagram. 'Ozzy and Sharon believed in us and transformed our lives and careers. He taught us how to play in the big leagues while at the same time being warm, welcoming, engaging, and all around brilliant.' More from Rolling Stone Pat Boone Says He'll Always Cherish the 'Warm Friendliness' of His Old Neighbor Ozzy Osbourne Ozzy Osbourne's Memoirs Return to Top of Charts Following Singer's Death The Tao of Ozzy Osbourne: 17 Profound Quotes From Metal's Prince of Darkness As drummer Lars Ulrich told Howard Stern in a 2023 interview, Osbourne 'was known to bring out bands that were kind of on the verge of breaking' to tour with him. In 1986, Metallica had released Master of Puppets, and Ulrich said Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne 'were kind enough to take us out and give us a shot.' He said that five years prior, he and singer James Hetfield were still trying to 'figure out what we were doing,' and then with the Osbourne's invitation to tour, 'we were out playing arenas in America.' 'It was such a transformative time,' Ulrich told Stern. 'And it was our first go around in the big leagues, and hanging with Ozzy and being around that A-level energy and that sort of A-league, like we were in the we were in the majors.' On that tour, during soundchecks they would play Black Sabbath songs, something the band heard Osbourne thought was them 'taunting him,' but it was really because 'we wanted him to come up and sing with us. That was like our big dream,' Ulrich said. Of course, that dream did come true. They performed together during 2009's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event, where they delivered 'Iron Man' and 'Paranoid' together. More recently, Metallica performed during Osbourne and Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell show in their hometown of Birmingham, England on July 5. The band covered Black Sabbath's 'Hole in the Sky' from 1975's Sabotage and they also covered 'Johnny Blade' from 1978's Never Say Die! 'We are heartbroken and devastated by this loss and send our love and condolences to Sharon and their family, bandmates, and his very large circle of friends,' Metallica concluded in their tribute. 'He left an incredible legacy and will be sorely missed.' Black Sabbath paid homage to their leader and scores of artists from across genres and generations remembered the heavy metal pioneer, who collaborated and shared the stage with the likes of Slash, Elton John, Motörhead, and Madonna, as well as Busta Rhymes, Yungblud, and Post Malone. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Kelly Osbourne Speaks Out After Dad Ozzy's Death, Pays Tribute with Poignant Lyrics: 'I Lost the Best Friend I Ever Had'
Kelly shared a line from the Black Sabbath song "Changes," which she and Ozzy released as a duet in 2003 Kelly Osbourne is remembering her father, Ozzy Osbourne, with an emotional tribute that calls back to a special father-daughter moment. Two days after Ozzy died at age 76, Kelly shared lyrics from the Black Sabbath song "Changes," which she and Ozzy recorded as a duet together in 2003, to her Instagram Stories. "I feel unhappy I am so sad," Kelly, 40, wrote on Thursday, July 24. "I lost the best friend I ever had 💔" "Changes," which Ozzy co-wrote with his bandmates, was first released by Black Sabbath in 1972. In 2003, he and Kelly recorded a version as a duet with revised lyrics that reflected on their bond. The song was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., and they became just the second father-daughter pair to top the charts, after Frank and Nancy Sinatra in 1967. Ozzy's family announced his death with a statement signed by Kelly, her mother Sharon, her brothers Louis and Jack, and her sister Aimee. 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning," the statement read. "He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time." The English singer and songwriter, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — as a member of Black Sabbath and as a solo artist — was known for his rock star status, which earned him the nickname 'The Prince of Darkness.' But outside of his music career, he was just as well known for his love for family. In 2002, Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack, now 39, became TV sensations with their Emmy-winning MTV reality series The Osbournes. Their ups and downs, quirky moments and close bond played out on camera. Ozzy had a total of six children: Jessica and Louis with ex Thelma Riley, as well as son Elliot, whom he adopted from a previous relationship. Ozzy and Sharon, who were married for more than 40 years, also shared daughters Aimee and Kelly, and son Jack. Ozzy revealed in 2020 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and while the progressive neurodegenerative disorder affected his mobility, he was still present for one of Kelly's biggest moments, which came just weeks before his death. Slipknot keyboardist Sid Wilson proposed to Kelly during Ozzy's final concert with Black Sabbath at England's Villa Park on July 5. A video of the moment shared to Instagram showed Wilson, 48, backstage with his longtime love and her parents, telling her, "Kelly, you know I love you more than anything in the world," before Ozzy jokingly interjected, "F--- off, you're not marrying my daughter." Kelly and Wilson welcomed their son Sidney in 2022. She told PEOPLE in May 2024 that she lived with her parents during her pregnancy while Wilson toured with Slipknot. "I did everything with him for a whole nine months," she said. "It was more than nine months because I moved back in with my parents when I was pregnant because Sid was on tour and I didn't want to be by myself." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kelly called the time with her family an "amazing experience," adding, "I'd never give that back for anything." This past May, Kelly told PEOPLE her 2-year-old was 'best friends' with his grandfather. "Oh my God, they're best friends," she said of her toddler and her dad while at the 32nd Annual Race to Erase MS Gala. "So, favorite time of the day is nighttime because [Sidney] leaves me and gets in bed with my mom and dad because I'm staying in their house right now while my house is getting ready." "And he goes and gets in bed with them and they have cartoon time together and it is the sweetest thing ever ..., " she added. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: No, Ozzy Osbourne didn't perform in Israel in 2024
Claim: Heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne broke a boycott to perform in Israel in 2024. Rating: On July 22, 2025, heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, known for his work with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist, died at age 76. Following the announcement of his death, a rumor circulated on social media claiming he had broken a boycott to perform in Israel in 2024. (Kahlisse/X) For example, one post (archived) on X read: "BREAKING: Hardcore Zionist Ozzy Osbourne broke the boycott to perform in Israel in 2024 and urged other artists to do the same, whilst 1000s of children were being massacred. Anyway, he died today." The post had more than 612,000 views and over 11,000 likes, as of this writing. Similar claims appeared elsewhere on X. However, we found this claim to be false. We found no evidence Osbourne performed in Israel — or anywhere else — in 2024, though he was present at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that year. A performance by Osbourne probably would have drawn significant media coverage, yet no such reports were found in searches of Google, Bing (archived) and DuckDuckGo (archived). There also was no evidence of a 2024 performance in the tour history on Osbourne's official website or on the crowdsourced concert-tracking website Osbourne performed publicly in Israel twice: on Sept. 28, 2010, at Ozzfest in Tel Aviv's HaYarkon Park and on July 8, 2018, during his "No More Tours 2" farewell series in Rishon Lezion. In February 2023, Osbourne announced (archived) his retirement from touring due to medical issues. In January 2024, his wife — and manager — Sharon Osbourne told (archived) Rolling Stone UK that while he wouldn't tour again, they were planning two final farewell shows in Birmingham, England. Ozzy Osbourne's final concert appearance was at the "Back to the Beginning" farewell concert in Birmingham on July 5, 2025, where he performed seated due to his health. Osbourne did make public statements related to Israel and antisemitism. In Feburary 2024, he refused to allow rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) to sample Black Sabbath's "Iron Man," posting on on X (archived) that Ye "IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY." . @KANYEWEST ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF 'IRON MAN' FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS & WAS REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY. HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM… — Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 9, 2024 In March 2025, he and Sharon Osbourne signed an open letter (archived) with more than 200 entertainment and business leaders calling for an independent inquiry into the BBC's handling of its Gaza documentary "How to Survive a Warzone." The letter alleged the BBC had "a systemic problem of bias against Israel." Snopes reached out to Osbourne's publicist for comment and will update this article if we receive a response. Reilly, Nick. "Sharon Osbourne Says Ozzy Osbourne Will Perform Two Farewell Shows in Birmingham." Rolling Stone UK, 24 Jan. 2024, Accessed 23 July 2025. "Livestream: Back to the Beginning." Accessed 23 July 2025. "Ozzfest 2010." Accessed 23 July 2025. "No More Tours 2." Accessed 23 July 2025. "2024 Induction Ceremony." Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Accessed 23 July 2025. "200+ Entertainment and Business Leaders Demand BBC Accountability." Creative Community for Peace, 6 Mar. 2025, Accessed 23 July 2025.
