US President, Joe Biden, will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 honourees on Saturday.
The honour is the highest civilian Award in America and is bestowed to entertainers, athletes, politicians, and diplomats.
Among those expected to receive it are singer and activist Bono, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, longtime fashion editor Anna Wintour, Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
A White House statement noted that the honourees “are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”
Others who would be recognised this year include chef José Andrés, founder of the World Central Kitchen NGO, and primate researcher Jane Goodall, a leading environmentalist.
Billionaire financier and left-wing philanthropist George Soros and the former First Lady, senator, and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will also be honoured