What does a musician, prizefighter, and planetary scientist have in common? They all had roots in the Bronx. And they’re being celebrated for it by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. during the perennial Bronx Week celebration.

Though the name implies seven days of highlighting the finer points of the borough, Bronx Week is actually an 11-day event that begins May 9.

Diaz Jr. will be honoring the following individuals on May 19, whose names will be immortalized in the Bronx Walk of Fame located on the Grand Concourse near East 161st Street:

Regina Spektor
Born in the Soviet Union, Spektor began studying classical piano when she was six. Her family emigrated in 1989, landing in New York City, where she continued her classical training. Spektor eventually studied composition at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College where she graduated with honors. Spektor’s commercial breakthrough came in 2006 on her fourth LP, “Begin to Hope.” Spektor’s songs have appeared in TV shows and movies including “Orange Is The New Black,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Weeds,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Veronica Mars,” “The Good Wife,” and “(500) Days of Summer.” She played for the Obamas and guests at the White House and performed as part of philanthropic campaigns for Tibet, Doctors Without Borders, and many more. In September 2016 Spektor released her seventh album, “Remember Us To Life.”

Iran Barkley
Iran Barkley was born on May 6, 1960 in the Bronx. He lived with his parents, Frank Sr. and Georgia Barkley, and his seven siblings in the Patterson Houses. Growing up he was exposed to gang activity and ended up becoming a member of the Black Spades gang at an early age. One of his older siblings, his sister Yvonne, was a professional boxer and introduced Iran at boxing 13 years old. As an amateur boxer, Barkley won several medals between the years 1981 and 1982. December of 1982 is when Barkley went pro and adopted the nickname “The Blade.” In 1988 he won the WBC Middleweight title by knocking out Thomas Hearns in the third round. It was voted, by The Ring magazine, as the biggest upset of that year. When Barkley returned to action in 1991, he had two victories under his belt as the Light Heavyweight champion. He retired in 1999.

Carolyn Porco
Born and raised in the Bronx, Porco is a planetary scientist who is responsible for many of the discoveries and stunning images from the Voyager and Cassini missions. Porco earned her PhD from Caltech in 1983. She then joined the faculty of the University of Arizona planetary sciences department, where she worked until 2003, when she became a senior researcher at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado. She has also become a regular public commentator on science, astronomy, and planetary exploration and served as a science consultant on such productions as the 1997 movie “Contact” (based on the novel by fellow astronomer Carl Sagan), the 2009 movie “Star Trek,” and the 2017 documentary “The Farthest: Voyager in Space.”