Bob Dylan, Iconic Singer Songwriter, Voted into American Academy of Arts and Letters,

Iconic songwriter-singer Bob Dylan was given the rare honor of being voted into the elite society of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, March 13. He became the first rock musician to be given this honor.

The officials at the Academy were not able to decide which category he would fit in and so they inducted him as an honorary member, Rolling Stone reported. The Academy recognizes stalwarts of music, literature and visual art.

"The board of directors considered the diversity of his work and acknowledged his iconic place in the American culture. Bob Dylan is a multi-talented artist whose work so thoroughly crosses several disciplines that it defies categorization," said Virginia Dajani, executive director.

The 71-year-old rock star is famous for his early protest songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" that became the protest anthems during the 60s.

The singer received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts and France's Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and ten Grammy Awards and also an Oscar Award.

Bob Dylan is unlikely to be a part of the induction ceremony as he is usually on tour. Along with him, the Academy also honored Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, South African writer Damon Galgut and Belgian artist Luc Tuyman while novelist Ward Just, minimalist artist Richard Tuttle and painter and printmaker Terry Winters were voted into the Academy's core membership, Billboard reported.

Dylan has given his voice and music to folk, rock, blues, country and gospel genres. He has 35 albums to his credit with the last album rolling out in 2012 titled "Tempest."