Background

Born on May 10, 1960, in the north Dublin suburb of Ballymun, Paul Hewson was the second child of Catholic father Brendan Robert Hewson (always called Bobby), and Protestant mother Iris Elizabeth Rankin - a highly unusual arrangement in then deeply sectarian Ireland. As a child, Paul Hewson was a precocious, outspoken and thoughtful boy whose early experiences did much to shape his later life as one of the most important figures in Irish history.

Education

As a child, Bono's education started at The Inkwell, a small Protestant Church of Ireland junior school, before eventually continuing on to St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School. But his time there was unsuccessful; as Bono put it, "I spent a year at St. Patrick's, not being happy, and basically they asked me to leave." This was largely a result of the young Paul throwing dog feces at his Spanish teacher, which subsequently led to his enrollment in 1972 at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a controversial establishment that was Ireland's first co-educational, non-denominational high school. Paul settled in very quickly and soon became well-adjusted and happy in his new environment.

At Mount Temple, Bono describes himself as being "a bit wide-awake, a bit bright, a bit experimental." Although he was far from exceptional as a student, he had a flair for history and art, and became a keen and expert chess player.

But at the age of 14, he suffered a tragic and devastating loss when his mother died of a brain hemorrhage whilst attending the funeral of her own father.

From this point onwards, Paul's home life became considerably traumatic. Despite his father's attempts to hold the family together, Bono claims that he and Bob Hewson "didn't get on very well." As a result, father and son never enjoyed a particularly close relationship. In fact, Bono would later claim that the inarticulate Bob Hewson's unspoken message to his children was "to dream is to be disappointed." The singer has often cited this as a key reason for his forming such big ambitions and becoming even more determined to follow his dreams.

It was not long after his mother's death that Paul also got his new name. Originally 'Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang,' it evolved to 'Bonavox of O'Connell Street' after a hearing aid store in the center of Dublin, before eventually being shortened to 'Bonavox,' 'Bono Vox' - cockeyed Latin for 'good voice' - and finally 'Bono.' Credit for this goes to his mate Guggi (real name Derek Rowan), a childhood friend, who along with Bono was a member of the group Lypton Village. This was a gang of disaffected-but-creative youths that included Gavin Friday (real name Fionan Hanvey), the man who would eventually go on to form the avant-garde rock band the Virgin Prunes. Bono has often cited Lypton Village as a key source of inspiration and support both before and during his time with U2.

Career

Despite his initial ambition to be an actor, it was arguably Bono's tendency to be, in his own words, "promiscuous with my ambitions, flirting with all kinds of things" which led him to respond to a notice posted on the Mount Temple bulletin board appealing for musicians. Those interested were told to assemble at 60 Rosemount Avenue, Artane, the house of 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen Jnr.

As well as Bono, the other boys who made it to that first session were 15-year-old guitarist David Evans (later nicknamed The Edge), 16-year-old Adam Clayton, who couldn't actually play bass guitar but certainly knew how to talk as though he did, Larry's friend Peter Martin, Ivan McCormick, and David Evans' brother Dick. Ivan and Peter were, to quote Adam, "weeded out" early on, whilst Dick eventually left the band to study engineering at Trinity College Dublin. The four remaining boys were initially named Feedback (supposedly after the ear-splitting wailing that always seemed to emanate from the guitar amps), before becoming the Hype, and then eventually U2.

Shortly after the band's formation, Bono, Edge, and Larry became involved in the Dublin-based Christian group Shalom. From an early age, the controversy caused by the marriage between his Protestant mother and Catholic father had made Bono extremely suspicious of organized religion, with him later describing it as having "cut my people in two." Therefore, the non-denominational nature of the Shalom group provided Bono and the two other believing members of U2 with solace, harmony, and strength.

However, Bono, Edge and Larry's involvement with Shalom later caused friction within U2, as the non-believing Adam felt that the latter three's more devout friends were trying to make them prioritize their faith over the band. The three believers did eventually leave Shalom, as they felt that the group was trying to force upon them the false assertion that a commitment to rock n' roll and a commitment to God were mutually excludable principles. Since then, Bono's Christian faith has played a big role in his life, but in a way that has largely been free from the influence of the mainstream church.

Right from the beginning of his time with U2, Bono cultivated a reputation for being able to connect physically and emotionally with fans to an astonishing degree during the band's performances. He honed his technique initially during U2's earliest gigs in small pubs and clubs across America and Europe, where as he put it, he would "walk out on tables, kissing people's girlfriends and drinking their wine." Later on, in the 1983 War tour, the singer would regularly climb the stage tresses in order to prevent the crowds' attention from wandering.

However, perhaps the most well-known example of Bono's on-stage theatrics was during Live Aid in 1985, when mid-way through "Bad" he leapt off the stage and over a security barricade to the floor of the stadium, pulling a girl from the crowd to dance with her. Since then, he has brought girls (and occasionally boys) up on stage to be sprayed with champagne and filmed with handicams (Zoo TV), danced with (PopMart), to play songs (Elevation) and even just to be hugged (Vertigo). Over the years, these exploits have sealed Bono's reputation as one of the all-time great performers, as well as U2's reputation as a band with a heartfelt and profound love for its audience.

But his on-stage antics were not always received positively. At the end of the '80s, Bono had become something akin to a Messiah figure, with his often politically-charged, on-stage sermonizing causing U2 to suffer a considerable amount of ridicule from detractors, who accused them of earnestness, pomposity and egotism. Their decision to relocate to Berlin in order to re-tool their sound and image produced some startling changes in Bono's public persona.

The first of these, appearing on the Zoo TV tour in 1992, was The Fly, a character described by Bono as a man making "a phone call from hell, but liking it there." Others emerged, including the infamous MacPhisto. The latter was an incarnation meant for the European crowds during the 1993 Zooropa tour, apparently intended as a depiction of the Devil as a tired, old pop star who's been reduced to playing the Las Vegas circuit.

These fun and frivolous experiments with various alter-egos did not last the decade, though. On the 2001 and 2005 Elevation and Vertigo tours, Bono became a more low-key version of his late-'80s onstage self, seeking to educate audiences politically and spiritually as well as to entertain.

In early 2013, Bono announced that he and his band were working on another album tentatively called 10 Reasons to Exist, which was later released in the fall of 2014 as Songs of Innocence.

In collaboration with Apple, the band released Songs of Innocence for free on iTunes and streaming services iTunes Radio, and what was at the time, Beats Music. But the album's release came with controversy; many customers were unhappy that it was automatically downloaded into their music libraries without their consent, while some musicians were concerned that giving an album away for free sent the wrong message.

Despite the criticism and receiving mixed reviews, the album got a nod from Rolling Stone as the best album of 2014. It was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Achievements

• 

  As the lead singer of U2, one of the most popular and influential rock bands of the last 30 years, Bono is a figure adored and admired both within and outside of the music industry. As a rock star, his music with U2 has earned him legions of devoted fans across the world, whilst as a humanitarian and crusader for the world's poor, co-founder of organizations such as DATA and the ONE Campaign, he has gained deep respect from politicians and global statesmen as well as music fans. His rare ability to effectively straddle the spheres of both entertainment and politics remains rivaled by few in the realm of popular culture, and his determination to change the world for the better continues to inspire millions on both sides of the political divide.
  
  As well as illustrating Bono's staggering amount of energy and commitment, political and social initiatives have earned Bono numerous honours and awards. He was presented with the Free Your Mind Award at the MTV Europe Awards in Dublin, in acknowledgement of his work on behalf of the Jubilee 2000 project; he received a knighthood in Britain, the Légion d'honneur in France, and at least two nominations on separate occasions for the Nobel Peace Prize. He has also had various degrees bestowed on him from some of the world's top universities, and has sat as the editor for the publications Vanity Fair (USA) and the Independent newspaper (UK).
  
  Bono's Joshua Tree trapdoor spider was named after the Irish rock band U2's singer Bono in honor of the band's 1987 album The Joshua Tree.

Works

More photos

• music

  • The Unforgettable Fire 1984

• music album

  • Boy 1980
  • October 1981
  • War 1983

Religion

Bono was born of a Roman Catholic father and a Protestant mother.

“I pray to get to know the will of God, because then the prayers have more chance of coming true - I mean, that’s the thing about prayer,” Bono told interviewer Gay Byrne. “We don’t do it in a very lofty way in our family. It’s just a bunch of us on the bed, usually, we’ve a very big bed in our house. We pray with all our kids, we read the Scriptures, we pray.”

Byrne presses Bono on his perception of Jesus - Was he divine? Did he truly rise from the dead? Bono answers in the affirmative.

“[Jesus] went around saying he was the Messiah. That’s why he was crucified. He was crucified because he said he was the Son of God. So, he either, in my view, was the Son of God or he was nuts. Forget rock-and-roll messianic complexes, I mean Charlie Manson-type delirium. And I find it hard to accept that whole millions and millions of lives, half the Earth, for 2,000 years have been touched, have felt their lives touched and inspired by some nutter. I just, I don’t believe it.”

When asked if he believed Jesus made promises that would come true, Bono replied, “Yes, I do.”

Bono’s faith has been an ongoing factor in his advocacy work, and it even cropped up in the lyrics of some of his most famous U2 hits. From ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’: “I believe in the kingdom come / Then all the colors will bleed into one.”

He said: "One of the things that I picked up from my father and my mother was the sense that religion often gets in the way of God. For me, at least, it got in the way. Seeing what religious people, in the name of God, did to my native land…and in this country, seeing God's second-hand car salesmen on the cable TV channels, offering indulgences for cash…in fact, all over the world, seeing the self-righteousness roll down like a mighty stream from certain corners of the religious establishment…I must confess, I changed the channel. I wanted my MTV. Even though I was a believer. Perhaps because I was a believer." (From Bono's speech at the 54th National Prayer Breakfast in America).

Politics

Bono has long been involved in a variety of causes outside of U2. His work as an activist, due largely to his Christian beliefs, began in earnest when, inspired by Live Aid, he traveled to Ethiopia to work in a feeding camp with his wife Ali and the charity World Vision. Bono also went to Central America in 1985 to see the damage wrought by US-backed operations in Nicaragua and El Salvador, after which he and U2 toured as part of the Amnesty International benefit tour, A Conspiracy of Hope.

In the 1990s, he campaigned with Greenpeace against the nuclear power plant Sellafield in the north of England and drew attention to the conflict raging in Bosnia by collaborating with the US journalist Bill Carter during the Zoo TV tour to create the award-winning documentary, Miss Sarajevo.

Since the millennium, he has rallied numerous actors, artists, and campaigners to the cause of ending Third World debt in his role as spokesman for the Jubilee 2000 project, as well as trying to end AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa by co-founding the lobbying organization DATA (Debt, Aid, Trade, Africa) in 2002, the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History (USA) in 2004, and the Make Poverty History movement (UK) in 2005. The latter two are coalitions of NGOs, faith groups and individuals working to end extreme poverty. Bono was equally key in performing in and helping to organize (along with friend Bob Geldof) the Live 8 concerts in 2005, a series of events across the globe designed to pressure world leaders to increase aid, cancel Third World debt and improve the terms of trade with the world's poorest countries.

Also in 2005, Bono and Ali, along with fashion designer Rogan Gregory, created the socially conscious clothing line EDUN. This range of clothes for men and women seeks to promote fair trade and sustainable growth by basing their means of production in poor communities, without the use of sweatshop-like conditions, encouraging them to use their skills in an environmentally friendly way to create garments that can be sold at a fair price.

In 2006, Bobby Shriver and Bono co-founded the Product (RED) campaign. This initiative seeks to persuade large companies with global brands to sell specific lines of products from which a portion of the profits will be donated to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and malaria.

Views

Throughout U2's career, Bono has written most of the band's lyrics, often focusing on untraditional themes like politics and religion. In fact, social activism has always been close to the singer's heart, and he has used his music to raise consciousness with performances at Band Aid, Live 8 and Net Aid, among others.

In 2006, U2 joined forces with the punk-influenced band Green Day to record a cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming" to benefit the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The next year, Bono and the rest of U2 contributed the title track to Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.

Despite his success at raising awareness, Bono has been criticized by many in the aid community for his willingness to work with leaders whom many progressives consider to be anathema (particularly Pres. George W. Bush) in order to try to secure additional money for AIDS programs and debt relief for impoverished African countries. Bono’s most high-profile trip occurred in May 2002 when he traveled throughout Africa with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, an excursion the Washington Post called a potential beginning of a “momentous…alliance between liberals and conservatives to launch a fresh assault on global poverty.” Writing in the New York Times, James Traub characterized Bono as both “a kind of one-man state who fills his treasury with the global currency of fame” and “an emanation of the celebrity culture.”

Beyond politics, Bono's activities outside of U2 have included dabbling in the film industry. In 1999 he composed and performed the music for the Wim Wenders film The Million Dollar Hotel, which he co-wrote with screenwriter Nicholas Klein. Bono also made a brief appearance in the movie, his second film role after having previously appeared as himself in Entropy, an indie flick made by Rattle and Hum director Phil Joanou. He also appeared in Julie Taymor's 2007 film Across the Universe, playing Dr. Robert, a psychedelic guru from the Beatles song of the same name. In addition, he starred alongside his band mates in U2 3D, a movie of the band's Vertigo tour concerts in South America filmed in a ground-breaking 3D format, and Daniel Lanois's musical exploration Here Is What Is.

On top of this, Bono has dipped his toe into the literary world, writing the intros for American economist Jeffrey Sachs's 2005 book The End of Poverty, Irish Christian author Adam Harbinson's 2002 critique of the established church They've Hijacked God, and an edition of the Psalms for the 1998 Pocket Canons series. He has also had a book published, 2007's On the Move, in which he lays out his vision, in a single speech, for the changes that could be brought about in the Third World by minor increases in aid provision on the part of the West.

Yet despite all his influence among the wealthy and famous, Bono's greatest impact arguably lies with the millions of ordinary individuals whose lives he has touched and transformed, many of whom have been inspired by him to try and make the world a better place. His capacity for action, his unwavering belief in the potential for individuals to change the world, and his extraordinary powers of persuasion when faced with those hostile to his cause remain unrivalled both within and outside of the music industry. His life has been, and still is, a remarkable example of the triumph of optimism in the face of cynicism and indifference, not to mention how to resist the rock n' roll cliches.

Quotations: "Music can change the world because it can change people."

"The less you know, the more you believe."

"Where you live in the world should not determine whether you live in the world."

"As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both."

"We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong."

"The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape."

"Books! I dunno if I ever told you this, but books are the greatest gift one person can give another."

"It's so sweet, I feel like my teeth are rotting when I listen to the radio."

"It's stasis that kills you off in the end, not ambition."

"U2 is an original species... there are colors and feelings and emotional terrain that we occupy that is ours and ours alone."

Membership

Bono is an active supporter of various charities and organizations, such as 46664, ALAFA, Amnesty International, Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, Chernobyl Children International, Clara Lionel Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, DATA, EDUN, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Every Mother Counts, Exploring The Arts, Food Bank For New York City, Global Fund, Greenpeace, Janie's Fund, Keep A Child Alive, Legacy of Hope Foundation, Live 8, Make Poverty History, Mencap, Millennium Promise, Millennium Villages, Mulago Positive Women’s Network, MusiCares, Music Generation, NAACP, Not On Our Watch, ONE Campaign, Oxfam, (RED), Red Cross, Simon Community, Special Olympics, The Lunchbox Fund, UNICEF, UN Millennium Project, War Child, Water.org, Wildlife Conservation Society, Witness, Zero Hunger, and others.

• The Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS was launched in Maseru in May 2006 to provide prevention and treatment services to the 45,000 mainly women Basotho workers in the industry, one third of whom are estimated to be infected with HIV. Bono attended the launch of the charity in May 2006, kicking off a 10-day tour of six African countries, and noted that Lesotho was a microcosm of all of the opportunities and challenges facing Africa. “If you can’t make a difference to the lives of the Basotho then what chance is there for the rest of Africa?” he asked rhetorically. Bono and his wife have a factory in Lesotho, producing the “conscious-consumer” Edun brand of clothing. He said Lesotho should be branded as a new model of labour excellence. “You can’t be a model of excellence if your workforce is dying of Aids.” That is why he was so excited to welcome this project, he said. “Unless we stymie Aids then all the other (development) work being done will be undone.” Bono called for universal access to anti-retroviral treatment, which is a major part of the ALAFA project. “Everyone who faces this illness should have those pills.”

  ALAFA , United Kingdom

• 

  Part of the Clinton Foundation, the Global Initiative gathers a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

  Clinton Global Initiative , United States

• 

  Nelson Mandela's campaign to help raise Global awareness of AIDS/HIV. 46664 aims to highlight the emergency of AIDS/HIV through unique live events and music related initiatives.

  46664

• 

  Amnesty International

• Raising money and awareness to benefit children and young people in extreme poverty in the United States and throughout the world, particularly in Africa.

  Charity Projects Entertainment Fund

• 

  Chernobyl Children International, formerly Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI), restores hope to communities in Chernobyl-affected regions of Belarus and Ukraine. Chernobyl Children International works in partnership with families and communities to support their recovery from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. The largely volunteer organization works in partnership with the people of Belarus and Ukraine to form professional peer relationships and to help them overcome the domino effect of poverty, poor health, and social issues that continue to plague so many, even more than 20 years after the accident.

  Chernobyl Children International

• 

  The Clara Lionel Foundation works to improve the quality of life for communities globally in the areas of health, education, arts and culture.

  Clara Lionel Foundation

• A founding partner of the ONE Campaign

  DATA

• 

  EDUN specializes in Organic Clothing, Graphic Tees, and Eco Clothing with a mission to drive sustainable employment in developing economies. The company was founded in 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono.

  EDUN

• 

  The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 and in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Sir Elton John. Together, both entities have raised more than $225 million for worthy programs in 55 countries around the globe since inception.

  Elton John AIDS Foundation

• 

  A member of America's Second Harvest, the organization coordinates the distribution of food donations from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and government agencies to organizations providing free food to the city’s hungry.

  Food Bank For New York City , United States

• 

  Established by Christy Turlington, Every Mother Counts is an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health.

  Every Mother Counts

• 

  Founded in 1999 by Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto, Exploring the Arts (ETA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen the role of the arts in American education by returning arts-enriched programming to public schools across the country.

  Exploring The Arts

• 

  The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an international financing institution that invests the world’s money to save lives.

  Global Fund

• 

  Focusing on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet’s biodiversity and environment.

  Greenpeace

• 

  Janie’s Fund is a philanthropic initiative created by Steven Tyler in partnership with Youth Villages to bring hope and healing to girls who have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect.

  Janie’s Fund

• 

  Keep A Child Alive

• 

  Legacy of Hope, which was created the year before Nelson Mandela passed, was designed to deal with healthcare reform for children worldwide.

  Legacy of Hope Foundation

• 

  Through gathering the voices of the people, Live 8 has managed to get promises from world leaders concerning increased financial aid, debt cancellation for 18 countries, and access to AIDS drugs and care for AIDS orphans.

  Live 8

• 

  The biggest ever anti-poverty movement came together under the banner of Make Poverty History in 2005.

  Make Poverty History

• 

  Mencap works with people who suffer from learning disabilities, as well as with their families and carers. They fight to end discrimination and prejudice, and provide a wide range of services.

  Mencap

• 

  Millennium Promise

• 

  The Mulago Positive Women’s Network (MPWN) was started in Kampala, Uganda, in January 2004 to focus more attention on the specific needs of HIV+ women and their families within the country.

  Mulago Positive Women’s Network

• 

  MusiCares services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality.

  MusiCares

• 

  Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme. It helps children and young people access music education in their own locality.

  Music Generation

• 

  ONE is a global movement campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, so that everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity. Co-founded by Bono and other activists, ONE is strictly nonpartisan. ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funds. ONE is funded almost entirely by foundations, individual philanthropists and corporate partners.

  ONE

• 

  NAACP

Personality

Bono is a man of all trades who uses his celebrity power and status to help make positive changes all over the world. He speaks to world leaders and politicians to help him with those efforts and encourages his fans to take a stand and donate in any way they can.

Bono addressed the graduating class of Harvard University in 2001. In his opening lines, he told the young crowd: "My name is Bono and I’m a rock star. Now, I tell you this not as a boast but as a kind of confession. Because in my view the only thing worse than a rock star is a rock star with a conscience.”

Time magazine ranked him at the 8th place on its list of the "Most Influential Celebrities" in 2013; he was the only person from the music industry in the Top 10.

He has written songs either for, or with, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Keith Richards, Luciano Pavarotti, Sinéad O'Connor and Howie B. among several others.

Wrote the song "The Sweetest Thing" after missing his wife's birthday. When the song was rerecorded, his wife, Ali Hewson, received all the proceeds of its sale. She gave them, in turn to a charity for victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

He is the only person, who has been nominated for an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and for the Nobel Prize.

Physical Characteristics: Height: 1.68 m

Weight: 68 kg

Bono always wears sunglasses when in public, the singer has got glaucoma. He once told: "[I have] very sensitive eyes to light. If somebody takes my photograph, I will see the flash for the rest of the day. My right eye swells up. I've a blockage there, so that my eyes go red a lot. So it's part vanity, it's part privacy and part sensitivity."

He’s had his fair share of scary health moments in his life. In 2000, he had a throat cancer scare, which proved to be negative. 10 years later, he suffered a herniated disc, and in 2014, he suffered a serious crash while riding his bicycle in New York City which led to extensive surgery to fix his injuries.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Spending time with Bono was like eating dinner on a train - feels like you're moving, going somewhere. Bono's got the soul of an ancient poet and you have to be careful around him. He can roar 'till the earth shakes. He's also a closet philosopher... talks about the rightness, the richness, glory, beauty, wonder, and magnificence of America." - Bob Dylan

Interests

• charity

• Politicians

  Bobby Shriver

• Writers

  Neil Jordan

• Sport & Clubs

  Celtic Football club, chess

• Music & Bands

  the Who, Pearl Jam, Elvis Presley

Connections

In 1976, Bono started dating Alison Stewart (b. March 23, 1961), commonly known as Ali, with the two eventually marrying on August 21, 1982. They went on to have four children: Jordan (b. May 10, 1989), Memphis Eve (b. July 7, 1991), Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q (b. August 17, 1999), and John Abraham (b. May 20, 2001). To this day, the family continues to make their home in Dublin.

Spouse:

Ali Hewson

Ali Hewson was born on March 23, 1961, in Dublin, Ireland. She is an Irish activist & businessperson.

In 1973, Bono - then known by his real name Paul Hewson - met his future wife Alison Stewart at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where they were both students.

Bono, then aged 13, was in the year above 12-year-old Ali. She said while she knew the rocker was “the one” within days of meeting him, they didn’t start dating for another couple of years.

Daughter:

Eve Hewson

Eve Hewson was born on June 07, 1991, in Dublin, Ireland. She is an Irish film actress & television actress.

Daughter:

Jordan Hewson

Bono's daughter Jordan Hewson has landed a place in Forbes magazine's prestigious 30 Under 30 list.

Jordan, who has an undergraduate degree in political science and a masters in creative writing from New York's prestigious Columbia University, launched her tech company Speakable in 2016, but its the company's flagship production - an Action Button - which is making the most noise. It's an embeddable tool that allows readers to take action through sharing social media support, signing petitions and donating to causes featured in articles. So far, it features on the Huffington Post, Vice and the Guardian.

Son:

Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q Hewson

Son:

John Abraham

Friend:

Alicia Keys

Acquaintance:

Angelina Jolie

Acquaintance:

Brad Pitt

Acquaintance:

Penélope Cruz

colleague:

David Howell Evans

David Howell Evans, better known as the Edge, is an Irish musician and songwriter. He is the lead guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist of the rock band, U2. A guitarist of astonishing versatility, he is known for his low-key playing style, stripped-down guitar riffs with delay effects and reverb. His minimalistic and textural style has become U2's trademark. He was rechristened, 'The Edge,' by fellow U2 member Bono Vox. The nickname might have been inspired from Evans’s sharp features, sharp mind or his ability to observe things from the edge without being involved completely. The Edge is a Protestant Christian. At one point in his career, he wanted to leave the band due to his religious beliefs but later chose not to do so. He has recorded around 14 albums with the band. He was an intelligent student in school and wished to become a doctor or engineer. But after the inception of U2, his commitment to the band and interest in music grew stronger, and he quit his academic ambitions after finishing high school.

colleague:

Adam Clayton

Adam Clayton is one of the most widely remembered bass guitarists in international music. Unlike most kids of his age, Clayton was quite rebellious since childhood; he disliked academic pressure at school, and wanted to see himself play music on stage. Adam who is currently the lead bassist of the popular music band U2, has earlier been a part of bands like ‘Bono’. Though Adam was considered to be a bad player of the guitar, members of the band ‘Bono’ agree that it was this inability which made the band’s music popular. Apparently, Clayton’s alleged inability produced weird sounds on the bass which made the band’s music seem exotic, as compared to many others in the music scene. Clayton has been associated with U2 since an era where the band was known as ‘Feedback’. He also served as the band’s first manager, before being succeeded by Paul McGuiness. Amongst all his works, the songs ‘New Year’s Day’, ‘With or Without You’, and ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’, are few of Clayton’s most acclaimed ones.

colleague:

Larry Mullen Jr.

Larry Mullen Jr. is a well-known drummer and actor from Ireland who is also a co-founder of the celebrated rock band, U2. While he is now known for his distinctive drumming style, his love for music started with piano. But he soon switched to drums and was taught by Ireland's renowned drummer Joe Bonnie. In the beginning of his career, he joined Artane Boys Band, but was forced to leave when he refused to cut his long hair. Then his father got him into Post Office Workers’ Band before he finally formed the U2 band in his kitchen. At that time, Mullen was the only band member who could play an instrument. In no time, the band started gaining attention and carved its own identity. In the early days of U2, Mullen worked in the purchasing department of Seiscom Delta and was considering a career as a computer programmer in the company’s geology section. Apart from playing the drums, he is also a songwriter and actor who has produced some films as well. He suffers from tendonitis and uses specially designed drumsticks from ProMark to curb the pain. He met his girlfriend in high school and they have been living together for more than 40 years. They also have three children. Larry is a quiet and level-headed man who likes to largely remain in the background.

References

• Who Is Bono? How did an Irish schoolboy become the lead singer of a world-famous rock band and the founder of several humanitarian groups? Track Bono's rise to fame in this exciting addition to the Who Was? series.
  2018
• Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas A portrait of the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of U2 discusses how his life and achievements defy rock-star clichés, describing his transformation from a post-punk band singer to one of the industry's most famous figures, his long-time marriage to his childhood sweetheart, and his work as a spokesperson for Third-World issues.
  2005
• Killing Bono: I Was Bono's Doppelganger Longtime friend and reporter, Neil McCormick, reveals childhood and present-day stories about Bono and his band, U2.
  2004
• U2 Official - Instagram photos and videos