What a birthday present!
Mary J. Blige was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Jan. 12, which was also her 47th birthday.
“I am so grateful. On this day, my birthday, God put my name on a star,” said Blige during the ceremony.
Sean "Diddy" Combs and Uptown Records founder Andre Harrell were guest speakers at the event along with Los Angeles City Councilman, Mitch O’Farrell.
Harrell, who signed 18-year-old Blige in 1989 said, “I am feeling like a proud musical father.Mary receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, is like black women and little girls from around the world with a dream also receiving one.”
Blige, who has been public about her struggles with domestic abuse, drugs and depression, got a nod from Combs about how many people she's helped by sharing her experiences, “What makes Mary special, she moves people with not just with her voice but with who she is. She pours everything into a record and into a performance. Whatever she is going through, she knows she has a responsibility for those going through the same thing.”
The Queen of Hip Hop Soul has won 9 Grammy Awards from her 31 nominations. Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years.
Congratulations to Mary J. Blige on her star on the Walk of Fame!