Renowned British guitarist and founding Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi will be among a selection of individuals receiving honorary degrees at Coventry University next week.

The musician, 65, will be given the distinction along with fellow honourees, including artist George Shaw and Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali of Jordan, as well as the 7,000 graduands of Coventry University.

Iommi’s contributions to the British musical world are without question. In founding Black Sabbath in Birmingham in 1968 with fellow members Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, he helped to create a band generally recognised as history’s first heavy metal act. Iommi himself is widely recognised as one of metal’s most innovative and influential guitarists, ranked at no.25 in Rolling Stone’s list of greatest guitarists for his concise and dextrous riff development.

Outside of his work with Black Sabbath, Iommi has also played with Jethro Tull and Heaven and Hell, as well as releasing three albums as a solo artist.

Iommi re-united with his Black Sabbath bandmates in 2012, releasing their first album in 18 years, entitled, ‘13’, earlier this year. Despite being diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, Iommi’s musical commitment has not wavered, continuing to tour around the world and returning to the UK periodically for treatment.

The vice-chancellor of Coventry University stated, ‘It’s a pleasure to be welcoming these exemplary individuals to our graduation ceremonies to receive their awards alongside our graduating students. Each of them has excelled in their field in such a way as to be worthy of recognition, and I hope our own students will be inspired by the drive and commitment they have shown throughout their careers.”