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New York (ANTARA News) - Pop diva Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday night, paying tribute to her fans and her doubters, whom she said pushed her to continually push the limits.

"Even the people who said I was talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder, they helped me, too," she was quoted by DPA as saying. "They inspired me because they made me question myself repeatedly and pushed me to be better."

"I felt like I had been possessed by some magic and luckily for me I have been miraculously and continuously possessed by some kind of magic," Madonna said at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony in New York.

"I have gone on to do so many things in my life, from writing children's books, to designing clothes, to directing a film. But for me it always does, and it always will, come back to the music, so thank you," she said.

The ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria hotel also saw inductions for folk-rock poet Leonard Cohen, American rocker John Mellencamp and pioneering pop and surf rockers The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures.

"This is a very unlikely occasion for me. It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about," said Cohen.

"From poetry to pop, these five acts demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll," Hall of Fame president Joel Peresman said. "The 2008 inductees are trailblazers - all unique and influential in their genres."

The five artists have been chosen by 600 music industry professionals, and beat out disco queen Donna Summer, New York-based funk group Chic, rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa and hip-hop group The Beastie Boys for the 23rd annual induction.

Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first single or album and are represented in an exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Getting an induction into the Hall of Fame is generally regarded as a career-pinnacle and last year's inductees were REM, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Van Halen, the Ronettes and Patti Smith.

Madonna, who will be 50 in August, released her first record in 1982. Her hits include Holiday, Like A Virgin and Ray Of Light. She was inducted by Justin Timberlake and chose Iggy Pop & The Stooges to perform in her honour.

Cohen, 73, became an icon of the folk-rock genre in the late 1960s with songs such as Suzanne and Dress Rehearsal Rag. Lou Reed inducted him after reading lengthy excerpts from his poetry and singer Damien Rice performed in his honour.

British band The Dave Clark Five were part of the "British Invasion" led by the Beatles that revolutionized popular music in the US. Their hits included Glad All Over, Catch Me If You Can and Over and Over. But the induction event will be bittersweet, following the death of lead singer Mike Smith, 64, last month from pneumonia.

"Being an Englishman, to be inducted into the American Hall of Fame is a wonderful thing," said Clark. The band are to be inducted by actor Tom Hanks.

John Mellencamp, also known as John Cougar, 56, is known as an authentic voice of the American heartland with hits like Pink Houses and his iconic 1985 album Scarecrow. "I'm very honoured and pleased to be recognized this way, especially among people whom I greatly admire," Mellencamp said.

The Ventures are often compared to the Beach Boys because of the similarity of their surf rock sound. Their best-known hits include titles like Walk Don't Run and Hawaii Five-O. (*)

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