Paul Hewson, known worldwide as Bono, celebrates his 65th birthday today, Sunday, May 10, 2026. The U2 singer-songwriter has spent more than 20 years working to eradicate global poverty through organizations including the ONE Campaign, Product RED, and The Global Fund, collaborating with United States presidents from Bill Clinton onward to achieve that mission.
Born on May 10, 1961, Bono rose to international prominence as the frontman of U2, whose powerful voice and commanding stage presence allowed the band to transcend both stadium rock and adult alternative genres. The Irish musician has accumulated 22 Grammy Awards throughout his career and was named one of the Time Persons of the Year in 2005.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bono demonstrated his commitment to service when Ireland's Minister for Finance contacted him seeking assistance. The rock star immediately began calling diplomats and negotiating with Asian suppliers to secure medical supplies for Irish hospitals, arranging for the equipment to be flown into Ireland on a private plane. He and his U2 bandmates donated €10 million to purchase 20 million masks, goggles, visors, and gowns for frontline medical workers in their home country.
When asked on a 2020 radio program about his priorities, Bono explained he was focused on "how he can be useful" in his life. Regarding turning 60 while in lockdown that year, the musician said, "I was actually going to have a quiet birthday anyway, you know the family. I'm just grateful I got here" — referring to his return to his Irish estate in Dalkey, overlooking the sea.
The performer acquired his stage name from adolescent friends who nicknamed him Bono Vox, an alteration of Bonavox, a Latin phrase meaning 'good voice' — which was also the name of a Dublin hearing aid shop. He is rarely seen in public without sunglasses due to glaucoma. Beyond music, Bono and bandmate Edge have composed soundtracks for theatrical productions including Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and an adaptation of A Clockwork Orange.
Bono has been married to activist and businesswoman Alison Hewson for 38 years, and the couple has four children, the youngest of whom is 19 years old. His dedication to both artistic excellence and humanitarian causes has established him as one of the most influential figures in contemporary music and global activism.
Today also marks several other significant historical milestones. It is the 201st anniversary of the National Gallery opening to the public in Trafalgar Square, Westminster, housing over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. Additionally, 31 years ago on this date in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president, declaring in his address: "The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us."
The date also commemorates the first observation of Mother's Day in the United States in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908, and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah, where a golden spike was driven with a silver hammer to link the eastern and western territories of the United States.
