LED ZEPPELIN guitar legend Jimmy Page has issued the following year-end update:

"Hi y'all. Well 2012 is nearly at a close... and what a year it's been for JP. The eagerly awaited London O2 concert was released on what could be described as a 'celebration day' - some five years after the event.

During the December of this year I had the honour of meeting President Obama and Mrs Obama, President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in Washington DC. I would not have imagined any of this happening this time last year. So roll on 2013!"

On December 2nd, surviving Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were awarded the US's highest award for those who influenced American culture through the arts, the Kennedy Honor, at a dinner event at the White House. The entire event was broadcast December 26th on CBS.

HEART's Ann and Nancy Wilson performed the Led Zeppelin classic, 'Stairway To Heaven' for the show's finale, and were joined by late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, on drums. Footage of the performance can be seen below:

In his tribute to Led Zeppelin, President Barack Obama said: "When Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham burst onto the musical scene in the late 1960s, the world never saw it coming.

There was this singer with a mane like a lion and a voice like a banshee, a guitar prodigy who left people’s jaws on the floor, a versatile bassist who was equally at home on the keyboards, a drummer who played like his life depended on it.

And when the Brits initially kept their distance, Led Zeppelin grabbed America from the opening chord. We were ready for what Jimmy called songs with a lot of light and shade.

It’s been said that a generation of young people survived teenage angst with a pair of headphones and a Zeppelin album ... but even now, 32 years after John Bonham’s passing - and we all I think appreciate the fact - the Zeppelin legacy lives on.

We honour Led Zeppelin for making us all feel young, and for showing us that some guys who are not completely youthful can still rock!"

Check out video of Obama's speech below: