David Beckham, Gary Oldman, Elaine Paige and others honored by King Charles III

LONDON (AP) — Arise Sir David, Sir Gary and Sir Roger. And Dame Elaine, Dame Pat and Dame Penny.

Former England soccer captain David Beckham, Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman and The Who's frontman Roger Daltrey were knighted in King Charles III's birthday honors list released late Friday.

Elaine Paige, the renowned musicals singer, Booker Prize-winning novelist Pat Barker and former Conservative government minister Penny Mordaunt were given damehoods, the female equivalent of a knighthood.

The honors, which aim to reward individuals for their contributions to British life, are awarded twice a year to celebrities and public figures as well as ordinary people: Once at New Year’s, and then in June to mark the king’s birthday.

The winners are chosen by civil servants’ committees based on nominations from the government and the public. The awards are usually given out by the king or a senior royal acting in his place at Buckingham Palace.

Beckham, 50, was widely expected to be knighted following speculation last week that appeared to be based on a conversation he had with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show last month.

As well as representing England 115 times, including 59 times as captain, Beckham played for some of Europe’s most venerable clubs, most notably Manchester United and Real Madrid.

He has been knighted for his services to sport and to charity, having partnered with UNICEF, the U.N.'s children’s fund, for two decades and campaigned with a charity working to eradicate malaria. Beckham also played a pivotal role in London being awarded the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

“Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honor," he said.

Oldman, 67, was recognized for his services to drama both on screen and on stage. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the 2017 film “Darkest Hour," and recently dazzled audiences in the Apple TV spy thriller series “ Slow Horses.”

Daltrey, who co-founded The Who in 1964, has been recognized for services to charity as well as music, having been a patron of “Teenage Cancer Trust” since 2000.

The 81-year-old, who led the charity's concert series at Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades, said he was humbled by the award.

“It’s a dream come true for me, but it’s especially a dream because the charity means so much," he said.

Paige, 77, was honoured for her services to charity as well as music. She has held senior roles at a charity supporting young people with acquired brain injury and another one that supports disabled tennis players.

“I’ve got all these different emotions coming at me all at once," she said. "I’m proud and I feel grateful and I’m thrilled and surprised, and so it’s been quite a lot to take in.”

Barker, 82, known for “The Regeneration Trilogy," said she thought the letter announcing her damehood was from “really angry” tax authorities.

“Nobody else does that kind of quality of paper," she said. “I still sort of had to read the first paragraph several times before it sank in.”

A year on from losing her seat at the general election when her Conservative Party lost office, Mordaunt said it was “lovely to be appreciated in this way.”

Mordaunt, 52, saw her profile boosted during the king's coronation ceremony in 2023. The former lawmaker made a memorable appearance bearing the “sword of state," the first time the duty had been carried out by a woman.

Antony Gormley, the sculptor who was knighted in 2014, was made a “Companion of Honour” for his services to art. The award is one of the most prestigious that the monarch can bestow to citizens in Britain and across the Commonwealth, as there are only 65 companions at any one time.

Introduced in 1917 by King George V, the award recognizes people who have made “a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine, or government lasting over a long period of time.” Current members include British environmentalist David Attenborough, Canadian author Margaret Atwood and one of Britain’s greatest-ever athletes Sebastian Coe.

The honors don’t just reward people in the public eye. More than 1,200 people received honours in the latest list. Women made up 48% of those honored, with 11% of recipients from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The oldest recipient was 106-year-old World War II veteran William Irwin, who was awarded a British Empire Medal, for his services to the community.

The youngest was 11-year-old disability campaigner Carmela Chillery-Watson, who was made a “Member of the Most Excellent Order British Empire," or MBE. Chillery-Watson, who has LMNA congenital muscular dystrophy, has become the youngest ever recipient of the award for helping raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

In what is thought to be a first, three members of the same family were named in the same list. Jenna Speirs, her mother Caroline and father Duncan were each awarded a British Empire Medal for founding a children’s cancer charity called Calum’s Cabin after Jenna’s twin brother died of an inoperable brain tumour aged 12.

Campaigners who have fought to tackle the rise of knife crime were also recognized. Pooja Kanda, whose 16-year-old son was murdered with a ninja sword near his home, was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE. Alison Madgin, the mother of 18-year-old Samantha Madgin, who was knifed to death, was made an MBE alongside her daughter Carly Barrett.

FILE - English novelist Pat Barker holds her latest book, "The Ghost Road", in London Tuesday night Nov. 7 1995 just after the announcement that it had won her the 1995 Booker Prize. (AP Photo/Max Nash, file)

FILE - Lord President of the Council, Penny Mordaunt, holds the Sword of State walking ahead of King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, Saturday May 6, 2023. (Yui Mok, Pool via AP, file)

FILE - Elaine Paige arrives for the ABBA Voyage concert at the ABBA Arena in London, Thursday May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, file)

FILE - Gary Oldman poses in the press room during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - Roger Daltrey of The Who performs at TQL Stadium on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in Cincinnati. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham gives the thumbs up before a Leagues Cup soccer match Adam Grinwis, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)