David Letterman, who was the longest-running host of late-night TV shows in the United States, was on 17 May 2017 awarded with the Mark Twain Prize 2017 for American humour.
With this, Letterman became the 20th humorist to receive the prize. He is also a past recipient of Kennedy Centre Honours for his influence on American culture.
Letterman hosted over 6000 late-night shows in 33 years on the air. He won 10 Emmy Awards while hosting NBC's "Late Night" and then "The Late Show" on CBS. His final show in May 2015 drew an audience of 13.8 million people.
About Mark Twain Prize
• Established in 1998, the Mark Twain Prize is granted annually by the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.
• The Twain prize is given annually to a humorist whose impact on American society is reminiscent of Mark Twain (also known as Samuel Clemens), the 19th-Century novelist, satirist and social commentator.
• Previous winners of the Mark Twain Prize include Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett and Ellen DeGeneres.
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