In 2002, Cosby received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.
Bill Cosby will perform at Symphony Hall in downtown Springfield on March 2.
It’s the ”Cos” for a cause.
On Saturday, New England Public Radio will present “Bill Cosby Live for New England Public Radio,” a benefit concert for WFCR-FM and all-news WNNZ-AM.
Actor, comedian and writer whose successes span five decades in nearly all media, Cosby is an American icon with ties to the area as a resident of Shelburne and graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he earned a doctor of education degree. He will perform at 8 p.m. and tickets, priced between $37.50 and $75, are available through Ticketmaster.
“The New England Public Radio Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign for WFCR has raised over $5.3 million since it began 18 months ago. That fundraising momentum puts us on course for the construction of our new facility in downtown Springfield, and well over half way to our $7 million goal for the entire campaign which includes local programming initiatives on WFCR and all-news WNNZ, a facilities endowment, and an endowment for classical and jazz programming, said NEPR’s CEO and general manager Martin Miller.
“When Dr. Cosby offered to work with us on a benefit concert in support of the campaign, we were delighted. He is a longtime friend and listener to the station, and the donation of his time is incredibly generous. He’s a legend, and we’re very lucky to count him as a friend,” Miller added.
In the 1960s, Cosby’s stand-up act made him a household name throughout the country, spawning a string of hilarious, best-selling comedy albums, which went on to win eight Gold records, five Platinum records, and five Grammy Awards. His role on television’s “I Spy” made him the first African-American to co-star in a dramatic series, breaking television’s racial barrier and winning three Emmy Awards. Then, in the 1980s, he changed the world of television with the “The Cosby Show,” a gentle, whimsical and hugely successful series that single-handedly revived the family sitcom.
For his philanthropic efforts and positive influence as a performer and author, Cosby was honored with a 1998 Kennedy Center Honors Award. In 2002, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, and in 2009 was the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, as well as the Marian Anderson Award in 2010.