Why Chubby Checker Won’t Attend His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

The "Let's Twist" singer revealed his reason for skipping his induction later this year, despite having been eligible for nearly 40 years, during a recent concert.

Chubby Checker, 83, won't be attending this year's annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The seasoned entertainer has been in the music industry since the 1960s, and has been eligible for enshrinement since the very first ceremony in 1986.

His first nomination, however, only came this year, and he was eventually named an honoree alongside hip hop duo Outkast, '70s rock band Bad Company, '80s rock band Soundgarden, musical duo White Stripes, and the late English singer Joe Cocker.

In a video shared on Blue Sky, Checker (born Ernest Evans) explained his reason for skipping the ceremony, set to take place this November. "Well you know, this is what I thought. When you become to be an older person, you run into things that you didn't run into when you were not an older person," Checker began.

"So, when I told my manager, I says, 'Make sure when we go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the induction, that I'm doing what I love doing the most: Being in front of an audience. A live audience, not a television audience,'" he continued.

"So what she did [was], she got me a show. And the Rock Hall says, 'We want you to come here this day and be here. I said, 'We're not coming.' 'You're what?' I said, 'We're not coming. You want us? We have a gig.' 'Well, forget about your gig.' We never forget about gigs," Checker recounted.

The "Hucklebuck" singer, who currently has no upcoming official shows listed online, also explained that he wanted to prove to naysayers that he's still more than capable of entertaining an audience.

"I says, 'No. Let's be doing a show like I'm doing today to show I'm alive and well and the audience is wonderful and my dream is being fulfilled and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is happening all at the same time," he told fans.