Co-founding legendary rock band The Who in 1964, Roger Daltrey has secured his spot in the pantheon of rock icons. Now 81 years old, the “Pinball Wizard” crooner has made it clear that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, he recently received one of the greatest honors of his career in the form of knighthood from King Charles III.
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As part of this year’s King’s Birthday Honours, the British monarch recognized Sir Daltrey for not only his contributions to music, but his charity work with the Teenage Cancer Trust. From 2000 to 2025, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer launched and curated the charity’s Royal Albert Hall concerts from 2000 to 2025 Over the past 20 years, The Who have helped raise nearly 3 million pounds to provide specialist teenage cancer wards.
“A True Inspiration”: The Who Honors Sir Roger Daltrey
In a statement posted to The Who’s official Instagram page Saturday (June 14), Roger Daltrey’s bandmates called the honor “richly deserved.”
“Sir Roger is a true inspiration and we salute him and all the other honourees from the worlds of music and the creative arts for enriching our lives with their brilliant human artistry and achievements,” the statement read.
Added Daltrey, ““It is a wonderful honour for me and especially for Teenage Cancer Trust. I accept this award not only for myself but on behalf of all the unsung heroes who have given their energy towards making the Teenage Cancer Trust the success it has become. The likes of The Who and their fans, Angie Jenkison, Lindsay Hughes, Des Murphy, Rob Ballantine and the late Chris York are some of many who have done so much to elevate the charity, to the point where it now has 28 specialist units in NHS hospitals across the U.K.”
[RELATED: Here’s Why the Who’s Roger Daltrey Says “The Internet’s Ruined the Live Shows for Me”]
In a separate statement, Daltrey told the PA news agency that he plans to celebrate with “a bottle of plonk.”
“It’s strange, it’s an experience that I’ve never had before. I’m very humbled by it,” the legendary rocker said. “But equally, pride isn’t something you wear on the outside. You can’t say you’re proud of that. I’m not proud. It’s something that you wear in your heart, and this sits very well in my heart, because it’s for the charity, it is for the music and the music I’ve had the joy of giving it out there — how lucky was I?”
Featured image by Anthony Mooney/Shutterstock)
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