Chubby Checker said he should be inducted into Rock Hall

LOS ANGELES, June 14 (UPI) -- Chubby Checker had a message for the folks over at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Induct me before I "drop dead."

He made the comments Thursday as he walked the red carpet for the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles.

"I don't want to get in there when I'm 85 years old. I'll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I'm still smiling," the 72-year-old said.

"Let's Twist Again was the first rock 'n' roll song that received a Grammy (in 1962)," Checker said, providing evidence to support his request.

"If you put me in when I'm too old to make a living, then it's no good for me to be in there," he added. "The Rolling Stones, they're in there. The Beastie Boys are in there, they're young. Hall and Oates were just in there and they're still making money."