Neil Diamond to receive Songwriters Hall of Fame's Johnny Mercer Award

Music legend Neil Diamond will receive the Johnny Mercer Award at the 49th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony and gala.

Diamond, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, will be felicitated with the award at the ceremony which will be held in New York City on June 14.

"Having always been the consummate wordsmith, Neil Diamond has honed the craft of the hook to a fine art, and his storied performances are gifts to people of all ages, genres and backgrounds," said SHOF Co-Chairmen Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in a statement.

The Johnny Mercer Award is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year, and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact, that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer.

Diamond's songwriting credits include "Solitary Man", "Cherry, Cherry", "America", "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon", "I'm A Believer", "Red Red Wine", among many others.

The 77-year-old singer had recently announced his retirement from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease