Band Aid Bono's life now from plans to quit U2 to discovering secret brother

It's been 40 years since Bono joined the supergroup Band Aid in the sanction of ending world hunger - and plentifulness has changed for him successful the decades since.

The U2 singer has risen to go 1 of the astir wide admired euphony legends of each time, but he's encountered assorted challenges on the way. From 'dark waters' successful his matrimony to shocking household bombshells, the 64-year-old stone icon, existent sanction Paul Hewson, has agelong spoken candidly astir his idiosyncratic beingness distant from the sell-out stadium tours.

As Band Aid returns for the Ultimate Mix by Band Aid 40, which has been slammed by stars specified arsenic Ed Sheeran, the Mirror takes a look astatine the beingness of Bono now, including a astonishing admittance from his kids...

Surprise Kardashian link

Proud dada Bono has 4 children with his woman Ali Steward including celebrated his girl Eve Hewson, arsenic good arsenic their sons Jordan, 35, stone vocalist Elijah, 25, and John, 23. It's understood the household is close-knit and volition adjacent collaborate with each different erstwhile it comes to originative endeavours.

Back successful September, histrion Eve, who starred successful Netflix's The Perfect Couple, joked that her celebrated begetter was "such a signifier dad", drafting comparisons with Kardashian 'momager' Kris Jenner.

Eve, 33, who plays the youngest Garvey sister, Becka, successful Bad Sisters, told the Today show: "I've called him this before, and helium loves it, but he's the antheral Kris Jenner. He's each astir it, conscionable a huge, immense fan. He’s ever like, ‘So this is what you gotta do: You gotta telephone up this person, you gotta bash this,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, calm down'."

The prima went connected to uncover that, adjacent present she's an big with an awesome vocation of her own, she and her siblings "can't halt him" erstwhile it comes to dad-aging duties.

Speaking with Net-a-Porter's Porter magazine backmost successful August, thespian Eve revealed: "We person a workplace astatine the extremity of [my parents'] garden, wherever [we] usually extremity up, successful the mediate of the night, penning anserine songs. I really got kicked retired of the household set for being excessively enthusiastic. One evening, I noticed they were each successful the workplace together. I came in, I grabbed a bass, I started slapping the bass."

Eve's member Elijah has followed successful their father's rockstar footsteps and is portion of Irish stone set Inhaler, which helium formed successful 2012. And it would look that Bono doesn't mince his words erstwhile it comes to offering constructive disapproval to his offspring.

When asked by Louder magazine what his dada thought of his music, Elijah replied: “He loves it, and if helium didn’t, he’d astir apt archer me!”

Secret member

In 2022, Bono revealed that he'd learned a household subordinate he'd believed to beryllium a relative was, successful fact, his half-brother. As elaborate successful his memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono's father, Bob Hewson, had an matter with his mother's sister, Barbara, resulting successful the commencement of his 'cousin' Scott Rankin.

Bono’s mum, Iris, who sadly died erstwhile the U2 frontman was conscionable 14, ne'er recovered retired astir her husband's affair. In a candid interrogation with Lauren Laverne connected Desert Island Discs, Bono confirmed that helium had travel to 'peace' with his father, who passed distant successful 2001 - 1 twelvemonth aft breaking the quality astir Scott.

Bono said: "My begetter was going done a lot. His caput was elsewhere due to the fact that his bosom was elsewhere. I could archer my begetter had a heavy relationship with this gorgeous pistillate who was portion of the family, and past they had a child, which was each kept a secret. Nobody knew.”

Remembering however he'd challenged his dada aft learning of the affair, Bono recalled: “I asked him, ‘Did helium emotion my mother?’. He said, ‘Yes’. And truthful I asked him, ‘How could this happen?’ and helium said, ‘It can’, and that helium was trying to enactment it right, trying to bash the close thing. He wasn’t apologising, helium was conscionable stating these are the facts. I americium astatine bid with it.”

Bono went connected to stock the backstage apology he'd made to his dada pursuing his decease during a sojourn to a chapel successful France. He shared: “There was cipher there, I lit a candle, and I got connected my knees, and I conscionable said, ‘Look, I’m atrocious I wasn’t determination for you; you went done a lot, and delight forgive me’, and I felt free.”

Opening up astir his narration with member Scott successful his book, Bono wrote: “The information is with Scott, we felt similar brothers agelong earlier we knew we were. I emotion Scott and his mother, Barbara. I indispensable person known that thing was up, and I indispensable person held my begetter liable for benignant of making my parent unhappy successful the mode kids conscionable prime up things.”

Meanwhile, breaking his soundlessness successful an interrogation with The Irish Times, Scott said that helium felt “blessed to person been welcomed with unfastened arms into the Hewson family”. He reflected: “Not each specified stories crook retired the mode excavation has and I was fortunate to observe that I had 2 fathers instrumentality an progressive portion successful my upbringing.”

Challenges successful marriage

In his memoir, Bono besides spoke of his 40-year matrimony to puerility sweetheart Ali, stating that his publication was a 'love letter' to her. The mates met astatine school, with activistic and businesswoman Ali describing Bono arsenic her 'first existent boyfriend' during a 2008 interrogation with The Telegraph. Ali revealed: "It was 1976 that we got unneurotic — the aforesaid twelvemonth that the set formed. I saw their archetypal gig successful our schoolhouse gym."

The mates died the knot successful 1982, arsenic Bono's prima continued to rise, and Ali has regularly inspired galore of U2's astir beauteous emotion songs, including the affectional All I Want Is You.

However, it hasn't ever been creaseless sailing, and astatine immoderate constituent successful the '80s, Ali had "wanted to jump" from their narration aft they entered "dark waters". Bono, whose hectic touring docket had taken a toll connected his location life, told The Sunday Times Magazine: "It's not similar our emotion was absent immoderate acheronian undercurrents oregon briny water, [but] we got each different done those bits wherever it was hard to spot wherever we were. Ali calls it 'the enactment of love'. I privation she wouldn't usage the connection 'work' due to the fact that I person a feeling there's an adjective, 'hard', that's inferred...

"If 1 of america got mislaid the different was going to get america back, that's benignant of been the mode it's been for us. I deliberation successful relationships idiosyncratic is successful complaint astatine immoderate point, but you swap. It's a relay race."

He continued: "The important happening astir Ali was she was ne'er going to beryllium 'her indoors', she was ne'er going to beryllium conscionable my girlfriend, and she was ne'er going to beryllium conscionable my wife. So if I was home, I'd amended beryllium present. And successful the Eighties astatine immoderate constituent I was location but I wasn't present. And that's erstwhile I deliberation she wanted to jump."

Thankfully, the mates managed to flooded their difficulties, and are present understood to beryllium precise happy.

Plans to discontinue U2

Last year, Bono opened up astir his plans to discontinue U2, revealing that each subordinate of the set has contemplated doing truthful astatine immoderate point. Bono told The Sun: "I person surely thought astir walking distant from U2, each subordinate has. We person each thought astir it.

"It is the close instinct to question whether this should inactive beryllium going and what it demands of each 4 members. But the crushed wherefore I privation to spell guardant is thing is stirring successful my dependable and my singing and the tendency to constitute songs we don’t person yet. We are chasing the dragon of the opus we can’t get."

U2 was formed successful Dublin past successful 1976, erstwhile drummer Larry Mullen Jr. pinned an advertisement to a announcement committee Mount Temple Comprehensive School announcement board, reaching retired to chap musicians. Bono, guitarist David 'The Edge' Evans and bassist Adam Clayton each responded, and the rest, arsenic they say, is history.

The radical was initially known arsenic Feedback and past The Hype earlier the young bandmates decided upon a sanction they hated least. Speaking with BBC News successful January 2022, Bono admitted that helium 'didn't truly emotion it' and inactive didn't.

Despite not being sold connected the set name, Bono and the remainder of the radical went connected to bask phenomenal occurrence - clocking up 8 number-one albums and an astonishing 22 Grammy Awards. And much than 40 years aft that fateful schoolhouse announcement committee ad, they're inactive going strong.

Back successful 2023, The Edge told The Irish Star that fans person thing to interest about, arsenic their beardown enslaved means they'll ne'er divided up. He divulged: "Every clip I deliberation of quitting, I benignant of reinvent U2. We each cognize that we radiance brighter by being successful proximity to each other. That's wherefore it's going to beryllium precise hard to interruption up U2 - simply due to the fact that it works truthful good for america all."

2024 Ultimate Mix by Band Aid 40 is disposable to stream

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