David Letterman inducts the late Warren Zevon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Killers perform in his honor

Warren Zevon. Photo Credit: Aaron Rapoport, Courtesy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

TV host David Letterman inducted the late Warren Zevon into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously.

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place on Saturday, November 8th, at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, and it recognized this year’s Class of Inductees: Bad Company, Chubby Checker, the late Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes.

Warren Zevon honored with the 2025 ‘Musical Influence’ Award

The late Warren Zevon was recognized with the “Musical Influence Award,” which is bestowed to artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock and roll and music impacting culture. 

Salt-N-Pepa was also honored in this “Musical Influence Award” category, which was previously known as the “Early Influence” category.

His most famous compositions were “Werewolves of London,” “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Excitable Boy,” and “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.”

He also wrote hit songs that were recorded by other major artists, including “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” “Mohammed’s Radio,” “Carmelita,” and “Hasten Down the Wind.”

Impact of Warren Zevon’s music and songwriting

Warren Zevon is credited for being an “artist’s artist.” One of the most talented and significant singer-songwriters to emerge in the 1970s, Zevon wrote poetic but offbeat songs, often with darkly humorous and acerbic lyrics, and delivered them with a dry wit and a twisted energy like no other performer could.

Billy Joel described Zevon as “the soul of L.A.” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times (as she wrote a letter of support for him to the Rock Hall back in 2023).

David Letterman’s moving induction speech about Warren Zevon

In his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame introductory speech, Letterman praised Zevon for being a poet and a classic rock and roller, whose music addressed the complexities of life.

Letterman described Zevon’s music as “dense with historic illusion, love, and sadness tinted with unexpected whimsy and delivered with third-rail voltage rock ‘n’ roll, or sweet, heartbreaking, lush, symphonic melodies.”

Letterman recalled Zevon’s final appearance of his “Late Show” program, where the iconic rocker told him to “enjoy every sandwich” amid his terminal cancer diagnosis, which was Zevon’s immortal reminder.

Letterman concluded the speech by presenting Zevon’s guitar (that he had gifted him 22 years ago, and Letterman had cared for the guitar) to The Killers’ guitarist Dave Keuning for their performance. “Congratulations, Warren. Thank you for everything. Enjoy every sandwich,” Letterman exclaimed.

Tribute performance of ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money’ by The Killers

It was followed by a vivacious and rousing performance of “Lawyers, Guns and Money” by The Killers (lead vocals from Brandon Flowers, lead guitar by Dave Keuning, drums by Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and bassist Mark Stoermer).

This tribute performance featured veteran guest musician Waddy Wachtel on the electric guitar, and throughout the song, Flowers included a slight interpolation of Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.”

The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony can be viewed in its entirety on the streaming service Disney+.

For more information on the musical legacy of Warren Zevon, check out his official website.