President Barack Obama bestowed singer Linda Ronstadt with a National Medal of Arts on Monday, as well as a little compliment.
"I told Linda Ronstadt I had a little crush on her back in the day," the president said he told the singer as he donned the medal around her neck,
The Washington Post reported.
A military aide brought Ronstadt into the room with a wheelchair, but she stood and walked to the stage on her own to receive her medal. The ceremony was a special one for her, as she was unable to travel to her induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April due to Parkinson's disease limiting her travel abilities.
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NBC News reported that another military aide read the list of National Medal of Arts recipients, noting Ronstadt's "one-of-a-kind voice and her decades of remarkable music."
"Drawing from a broad range of influences, Ms. Ronstadt defied expectations to conquer American radio waves and help pave the way for generations of women artists," he announced.
Among the other recipients were DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg and National Public Radio host Diane Rehm.
Obama thanked Rehm for interviewing him long before he was president, back when he was a struggling writer.
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