10 THINGS to know about Bono on his birthday
Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2, is 63 today! So, in honor of the “Beautiful Day that is May 10th, here’s not just “One,” but 10 “Real Things” you may or may not know about your favorite Irish rocker!
- Bono’s real name is Paul David Hewson and he was born in Dublin Ireland, in 1960.
- He was nicknamed Bonavox as a teenager. It was the name of a hearing aid store in Dublin! He didn’t like it at first, but later learned Bono Vox was Latin for “good voice,” so he stuck with it!
- Bono met his wife Ali Hewson in school when they were 12 years old! They married in 1982 and have four children: Jordan, 33, Eve, 31, Elijah, 23, and John, 21.
- Bono told Oprah that despite his globe-trotting tour schedule, he is never away from his wife and kids for more than three weeks!
- He started the band that would become U2 while in high school in 1977 with his friends, David Evans “the Edge,” Larry Mullen, Jr., and Adam Clayton.
- Bono has glaucoma, a condition which causes sensitivity to light. That’s why he wears his signature tinted wraparound glasses.
- He apparently likes to sketch Atlantic covers, so the magazine hired him! He illustrated the Atlantic’s June cover for a story about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Bono is actively involved in improving human rights around the globe. He is actively involved in campaigns to fight extreme poverty and preventable diseases, such as AIDS.
- Bono’s memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” came out in October 2022. Each chapter is named for a U2 song. U2 also released a new album to coincide with the memoir called “Songs of Surrender.”
- Bono and U2 are reportedly going to release even more new music soon! The Edge said the band has “a lot of great material in the pipeline” so stay tuned!
