Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell among Kennedy Center honorees - New York Post

This year’s honorees include Justino Díaz, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell.

“This year’s honorees represent the unifying power of the arts and surely remind us of that which binds us together as human beings,” Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter said. “These artists are equal parts genius, inspiration and entertainment.”

The Puerto Rican bass-baritone, 81, is most known for his “distinguished, deeply resonant voice and storied operatic career,” Rubenstein said. He also noted that Díaz has performed on the stages of the world’s great opera houses and remains as “one of the greatest bass-baritones of our time.”

A “visionary music producer and songwriter” and the founder of Motown, Gordy, 91, is known for creating and developing the careers of former Kennedy Center honorees including Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson. He also had his hand in the success of countless other Motown musicians like the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, the Jackson 5 and Marvin Gaye.

As the creator and executive producer of “Saturday Night Live,” 76-year-old Michaels created the most enduring “must-see television,” Rubenstein noted, making it the most Emmy-nominated show in history. Michaels is also known for producing a variety of comedic hits on the small screen like “30 Rock” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”), movies including “Wayne’s World” and “Baby Mama” as well as the stage with Broadway’s “Mean Girls.”

Joni Mitchell, the Canadian-born singer-songwriter, will be celebrating this honor along with the 50th anniversary of her landmark album, “Blue.” Mitchell, 77, is known for her ability to blend “raw, deeply personal lyrics with her stunningly ethereal voice,” Rubenstein said