WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama led a chorus of "Happy Birthday" for Sen. Ted Kennedy on Sunday night at the Kennedy Center, topping off a celebration of the senator's 77th birthday that featured a crowd of celebrities and political heavyweights. Sen. Ted Kennedy, left, with his wife, Victoria, and Sen. John Kerry at the Kennedy Center on Sunday night. The Massachusetts Democrat, whose birthday was on Feb. 22, received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award during an evening that included performances by Broadway stars Bernadette Peters and Brian Stokes Mitchell, opera singers Denyce Graves and Frederica von Stade, singer James Taylor, actress Lauren Bacall, comedian Bill Cosby and others.
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Celebrities and political heavyweights mark Sen. Ted Kennedy's 77th birthday
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Senator receives the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award
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Kennedy was the unanimous selection of the committee that decides the award
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Attendees include Caroline Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Bill Cosby, John Kerry
First lady Michelle Obama and the state's other senator, John Kerry, sat with Kennedy and wife, @placeholder, in a box overlooking the stage.