Leonard Cohen wins Spanish literary prize

Leondard Cohen has been announced as this year's recipient of Spain's Prince of Asturias Award.

The prestigious $71,870 (£43,836) prize is handed out by a jury of Spain's most esteemed artists, authors and intellectuals to people who have made significant contributions to science, the humanities and public affairs.

Cohen was praised by the jury for influencing "three generations of people worldwide through his creation of emotional imagery in which poetry and music are fused in an oeuvre of immutable merit".

Felipe, Prince of Asturias, heir apparent to the Spanish throne, personally hands out the prizes in Oviedo each year.

Playwright Arthur Miller, economist Paul Krugman and naturalist Sir David Attenborough are among previous recipients.

Cohen has accrued numerous honours over the course of his more than five-decade career, such as induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement tribute.

His most recent live recording, Songs from the Road, was released last September.

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Watch Leonard Cohen perform 'Hallelujah' below: