Soviet musicians in the United States (at the Village Gate in 1988) and arranged for the Branford Marsalis Quartet to play at the Moscow International Jazz Festival, the debut of American performers at that event, in 1990. For his lifelong efforts, the Soviet Composers Union successfully pushed for Avakian to receive the Order of Lenin, the former Soviet Union's highest honor, in 1990. From the 1970s to the 2000s, Avakian continued to keep his hand in occasional record productions, and during the 1980s, he managed two vocalists, Helen Merrill and Datevik Hovanesian. In the 1990s and 2000s, Sony Legacy consulted him for the reissues of several Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong albums and compilations. Avakian also remained active in jazz research and writing and discovered several previously unknown Louis Armstrong compositions at the Library of Congress. In 1997, he produced performances and a recording of them by trumpeter Randy Sandke and other musicians (The Re-Discovered Louis and Bix, on Nagel-Heyer Records, 2000). Avakian and Anahid Ajemian donated their extensive collection of Jazz recordings and memorabilia to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in 2014. A major exhibit was held there in 2016 entitled Music for Moderns: The Partnership of George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian. Once semi-retired, he became involved in harness racing, owning and breeding several racehorses. Avakian bred champion pacer Presidential Ball. Avakian died on November 22, 2017, at the age of 98 at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The Avakians had three children: Maro, Anahid, and Gregory Honors He is a founding officer of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (presenters of the Grammy Awards). His awards over the past years include: Honorary Doctor of Literature from Colgate University (May 2014) 2011 – Added to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Wall of Fame as a Living Legend Giant of Jazz 2011 – "The Louie" Award, Louis Armstrong House Museum 2010 – National Endowment for the Arts AB Spellman Jazz Advocacy Award. The nations highest honor in Jazz for his work as a Producer, Manager, Critic, Jazz Historian and Educator. 2009 – The Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award (Grammy) from the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences for contributions to the music industry worldwide. 2008 – France awarded the rank of Commandeur des Arts et Lettres in recognition