Music legend dishes on Rock Hall induction, love for Cleveland: 'A real wonderful shock'

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was announced Sunday, and Peter Frampton was among the star-studded list of inductees set to be enshrined in Cleveland in October.

Frampton, 74, was voted in after being nominated for the first time this year - despite having been eligible since 1998. After decades of waiting to be nominated, the English-American guitarist and singer-songwriter figured it might never happen.

In February, however, Frampton was announced as one of 10 first-time nominees for the Rock Hall's Class of 2024. After weeks of online fan voting, which ended April 15, Frampton received the second-most fan votes of any nominee, behind only the Dave Matthews Band. The top seven artists voted on by the public are then tallied along with ballots from official Rock Hall voters to determine the Class of 2024.

And on Sunday, Frampton was named as one of eight performers elected to the Rock Hall Class of 2024, which was announced during an episode of "American Idol."

"It's something I never expected," Frampton told Rolling Stone. "Because I was eligible so long ago, I kind of put it into the back of my mind.

"The thing that blew me away the most was not actually getting in - even though that is a phenomenal, unbelievable thing. It's the amount of people who voted for me (in the fan vote). You don't quite understand where you're at until you look at the amount of people who voted for you. Those are the people I need to thank the most. That was a real wonderful shock," he added.

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Frampton will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2024 during this year's induction ceremony on Oct. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame itself is located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland - a city that Frampton said he's long admired.

"Oh yeah, I've always loved Cleveland," he told Rolling Stone. "I did my time in Cincinnati for a while. I live there. They can't take the Ohio out of me."

Aside from his love for Cleveland, another thing that's clear about Frampton is his optimistic outlook on life.

In 2015, Frampton was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis (IBM), an autoimmune disease that causes progressive weakness of the muscles in the wrists and fingers, the muscles in front of the thigh, and the muscles that lift the front of the foot, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The condition can lead the frequent tripping or falling, knees giving way, and the loss of ability to walk or dexterity in your hands.

Frampton made public his diagnosis in 2019 and later that year announced what he believed would be his farewell tour. Retirement didn't last long, though.

Frampton has continued touring and playing music - albeit sitting down during his performances - and earlier this month wrapped up the spring leg of his 18-show "Never Ever Say Never" tour. He said he plans to do another two-week summer tour this summer.

"It's been incredible going back out after I quit," Frampton said. "I think the crowds are so behind me since I don't want to give up. I am a fighter. I'm going to be playing until the time comes when I can't."

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