Images: Bono’s many brushes with greatness
Chances are if you’re a president, premier or plain ol’ peacemaker with an eye on publicity, you’ve managed to get a bit of Bono in your life. The billionaire U2 rocker-cum-humanitarian spent Monday by the side of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner who’s spent decades seeking democracy in her military-controlled homeland. A perusal of the AP photo archives indicates it’s hard to find a world leader or leading reformer who hasn’t spent time hearing from Bono. Here’s a gallery of images placing the irrepressible Dubliner alongside the famous and powerful.
Irish singer Bono hands Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi the Amnesty Internationals Ambassador of Conscience award in Dublin, Ireland, Monday, June 18, 2012. The award was made in 2009, and this is the first opportunity for Kyi to get the award due to her house arrest in Myanmar.
Associated Press
Bono, the Irish rock star and activist arrives for a conference with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the Oslo Forum at the Losby Gods mansion about 13 kilometers (8 miles) east of Oslo, Monday, June 18, 2012. The Oslo Forum is a n international network of armed conflict mediation practitioners.
Associated Press
In this January 18, 2009 file photo, U2 frontman Bono sings in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the inaugural concert for President-elect Barack Obama in Washington. In an unusual performance, Bono will read a poem honoring Americas original rocker, Elvis, that will be broadcast May 13 on BBC Radio. The singer best known for his humanitarian efforts hails Elvis for his groundbreaking work in the 1950s, when the former truck driver emerged from the Memphis music scene to shake America to its very roots.
Associated Press
Musician Bono speaks during a panel discussion on World AIDS Day at George Washington University on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 in Washington.
Associated Press
This is a Thursday May 18, 2006 file photo of Irish rock star Bono meets an unidentified boy suffering from hearth problems at a health center in Mayange, Rwanda. Bono was touring some African nations to support the Global Fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. A nearly $22 billion development fund backed by celebrities and hailed as an alternative to the bureaucracy of the United Nations sees as much as one-third to two-thirds of some grants eaten up by corruption, The Associated Press has learned.
Associated Press
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and New York Council Speaker Christine Quin, right, are joined by members of the band U2, from second left, Adam Clayton, Bono, The Edge and Larry Mullen during a ceremony, Tuesday, March 3, 2009 in New York. A section of Manhattans West 53rd Street was temporarily renamed after the veteran Irish rockers on Tuesday.
Associated Press
Bono, center, visits Wheaton College to discuss Africas struggle with AIDS in 2002. Ashley Judd, on his right.
Daily Herald file
Bono greets some of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo at U2s final concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, March 2, 2006, honoring the human rights group that arose during Argentinas past dictatorship. Five of the famously handkerchiefed Mothers, whose children disappeared during a state crackdown on dissent during the 1976-83 junta, attend the last two shows.
TIFF PRoducciones
Bono of the Irish rock band U2 performs during their 360 world tour stop at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009.
Associated Press
Irish rocker Bono, frontman for U2, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey walk down Chicagos Magnificent Mile Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, for a shopping spree to promote his new Red product line that will be put on sale in the coming weeks by retailers Gap, Apple, Motorola, Converse and Emporio Armani. Gap will donate 50 percent of sales to Bonos Project Red to fight AIDS in Africa.
Associated Press
Musician Bono points out other well-known attendees at the United Nations 2008 Millennium Development Goals Malaria Summit in New York, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008.
Associated Press
Singer Bono, right, speaks with Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti during rehearsal for the Pavarotti & Friends 2003 annual charity concert at the Novi Sad Park in Modena, Italy, Monday, May 26, 2003.
Associated Press
U-2s Bono gestures with the peace sign after delivering the Class Day address at commencement week ceremonies at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Wednesday, June 6, 2001. At far left is Dean of Harvard College, Harry Lewis.
Associated Press
Irish rock star Bono, left, sports lipstick from talk show host Oprah Winfrey during taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002, in Chicago. The two talked about their mutual concerns about issues confronting Africa. Earlier this year Bono took a 10-day tour of sub-Saharan Africa. The show is scheduled to air Friday.
Associated Press
Actors Brad Pitt, left, and Djimon Hounsou, and singer Bono, right, share a light moment during a news conference held to premiere a public service announcement for ONE The Campaign to Make Poverty History, Wednesday, April 6, 2005, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Associated Press
U2 singer Bono arrives for the premiere of the film Across The Universe at the Apollo cinema, in cental London Wednesday Sept. 26 2007. Bono says he had slept uneasily since seeing extraordinary photos and TV footage of the violence in Myanmar, and is praying for the countrys pro-democracy demonstrators After a month of mostly peaceful demonstrations against Myanmars military government, security forces opened fire on protesters Wednesday, and witnesses said police beat and detained dozens of Buddhist monks.
Associated Press
Irish rock band U2 leader Bono, left, shakes hands with Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2005 after being awarded with Portugals Order of Liberty decoration, one of the countrys highest honors, at the Belem presidential palace in Lisbon. The four band members were presented with the medals in recognition of their work for humanitarian causes.
Associated Press
This Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 file photo shows U2 frontman Bono, left, as he presents a pair of headphones to host Jon Stewart during a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in New York.
Associated Press
In this photo released by the New York City Mayors Office, Irish rocker and social activist, Bono, left, stands next to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007 at City Hall in New York. Bono was invited to meet with the mayor, who wanted to know what the singer was working on with his charity projects.
Associated Press
Bono, the Irish rock star and humanitarian, talks about his efforts in the fight against AIDS in Africa, during a webcast interview with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, on Dec. 3, 2003.
Associated Press
This photo supplied by Vanity Fair shows Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter, left, and Rock star Bono discussing the magazines July African issue which Bono will guest edit, in Carters office on Thursday, March 1, 2007, in New York.
Associated Press
This photo supplied by the Jesse Helms Center shows Bono, left, of the Irish rock band U2 and former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms share a greeting at a preconcert meal at the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C., before U2 played to a crowd of 17,000 Monday night, Dec. 12, 2005. Since they were introduced several years ago, the archconservative Republican known as Senator No and Bono have become close allies in the fight against the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Associated Press
In this Oct. 25, 2009 file photo, Bono of the Irish rock band U2 performs during their 360 world tour stop at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Associated Press
U2 lead singer, Bono, right, pauses while recording a song titled American Prayer with The Gateway Ambasadors, a choir made up of children from Ghana Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002 in New York. The song has been part of the Heart of America: Aids in Africa tour.
Associated Press
U2s lead singer Bono performs at Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. Bono, who praised Brazils anti-AIDS campaign, received a kit containing condoms and information about how to prevent the spread of AIDS during a dinner Wednesday, Feb. 22. 2006, with Culture Minister and pop star Gilberto Gil in Salvador, a coastal city some 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) northeast of Rio de Janeiro, the Health Ministry said.
Associated Press
Bono, left, lead singer of the band U2, and Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates sit together before a news conference at the World Economic Forum in New York, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2002. Bono and Gates both addressed leaders at the World Economic Forum.
Associated Press
Irish rock star and frontman for U2, Bono pauses after accepting the Pablo Neruda Medal of Honour from the Chilean Ambassador to Ireland Alberto Yoacham at the embassy in Dublin, in this Sept. 23, 2004 file photo.
Associated Press
U2s Bono, right, turns to wave as he and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, left, sport their new NYU jackets after the inaugural Daniel Patrick Moynihan lecture series, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 at New York University in New York. Introduced by Bono fellow activist Dr. Jeffrey Sachs spoke about the eradication of poverty and Third World debt relief.
Associated Press
U2s lead singer and activist Bono listens to poet Maya Angelou speak Tuesday, July 27, 2004, at the FleetCenter in Boston during the Democratic National Convention. Bono sang at a private funeral for Susan Buffett, wife of billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Monday, Aug. 2, 2004.
Associated Press
U2s lead singer, Bono, left, talks with CEO of A to Z textiles Mills, Anuj Shah, right and Richard Faechemin, Executive Director of The Global Fund, in Arusha, Tanzania on Saturday May, 20, 2006. Bono visited the factory which is the only manufacturer in Africa to make insectile treated nets to fight malaria. The 46-year-old Irish rocker, who has long complained that Africas problems get little attention in the news, is on a 10-day tour of Africa thats already taken him to South Africa, Rwanda and Lesotho. He also planned stops in Nigeria, Mali and Ghana.
Associated Press
Bono, lead singer of U2, speaks at the Theater of the Clouds in the Rose Garden Tuesday night, Oct. 19, 2004, as part of the World Affairs Council lecture series.
Associated Press
Bono, frontman for U2, greets Luseane Pese, a 10 year-old leukemia patient from Hawaii, at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004, in Memphis Tenn. Bono was in Tennessee to receive the National Civil Rights Museums International Freedom Award. The singer/activist, known for his support to increase awareness of the AIDS crisis facing Africa, met with St. Jude researchers who are at work to develop an HIV vaccine.
Associated Press
Irish rock star Bono signs an End poverty now banner on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Friday, Nov. 25, 2005 prior to attending a news conference.
Associated Press
U2s lead singer Bono, second left, observes the weaving process of an insecticide treated net that fights malaria at the A to Z Textile Mills factory in Arusha, Tanzania on Saturday May 20, 2006 in the only factory in Africa, manufacturing such nets. The 46-year-old Irish rocker, who has long complained that Africas problems get little attention in the news, is on a 10-day tour of Africa thats already taken him to South Africa, Rwanda and Lesotho. He also planned stops in Nigeria, Mali and Ghana.
Associated Press
Musicians Bono, right, and Alicia Keys take part in a panel discussion on World AIDS Day, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at George Washington University in Washington.
Associated Press
Bono, lead singer from the rock group U2, performs at the Nelson Mandela AIDS Benefit Concert in Cape Town, South Africa, Saturday Nov. 29, 2003. He will be recognized for his humanitarian work at an awards dinner hosted by the family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Bono will be honored at the 2004 King Center ``Salute to Greatness awards dinner on Jan. 17 in Atlanta.
Associated Press
U2 Singer Bono, left, and actress Ashley Judd laugh while helping activists assemble an AIDS quilt during World Aids Day, Sunday Dec. 1, 2002, in Lincoln, Neb. night. The visit by Bono and Ashley Judd has added less than $500 to a fundraising drive by the local organization that drew them to Lincoln. But organization President Nelson Okuku Miruka said recently the visit was a success because it called attention to his group, which hopes to build a $100,000 orphanage in Kenya.
Associated Press
Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2 is seen at a news conference at the World Economic Forum in New York Saturday, Feb. 2, 2002. U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul ONeill expressed admiration for rock star Bono, saying the U2 singer was well-informed on development issues and genuine in his concern. Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, recently addressed the World Economic Forum in New York and has become the main spokesman for Drop the Debt, which campaigns for the canceling developing world debt.
Associated Press
Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band U2, arrives at the 2003 MusiCares Person of the Year 13th annual Gala Friday, Feb. 21, 2003, in New York. Bill Clinton thinks Bono is a leader we should follow in the new millennium. The former president praised the rock star Friday at the celebrity-packed reception.
Associated Press
Rock star Bono is seen in Washington in this March 16, 2001 file photo. Bono, lead singer of the Irish rock band U2, has been named European of the Year for his campaign for debt relief in developing nations, in a poll conducted by the weekly European Voice.
Associated Press
President Barack Obama greets U2 frontman Bono, center, and Muhtar Kent, chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, right, after speaking during a World AIDS Day event at George Washington University in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011.
Associated Press
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, poses for photographers with U2 lead singer Bono prior to their lunch at the State Department in Washington, Wednesday, May 25, 2005.
Associated Press
U2 frontman Bono, right, and guitarist The Edge perform at the Lincoln Memorial for President-elect Barack Obamas inaugural concert in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009.
Associated Press
In this Oct. 22, 2008 file photo, Bono addresses the audience at The Womens Conference in Long Beach, Calif.
Associated Press
Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2, watches University of Pennsylvania graduate candidates walk toward their commencement ceremony in Philadelphia, Monday, May 17, 2004. Bono delivered the commencement address at the ceremony during which he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Associated Press
Bono, left, lead singer of U2, and Coretta Scott King, right, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., pose at the end of a news conference in Atlanta, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004. Bono accepted one of The King Centers highest awards later at the annual Salute to Greatness Awards Dinner, part of the annual King Holiday observance. Bono wrote a U2 song about the slain Civil Rights leader, a 1984 hit called Pride (In the Name of Love).
Associated Press
Irish Rock star Bono, arrives with the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, right, for the Global Launch of the UN Human Development Report 2003 at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, on Tuesday July 8, 2003.
Associated Press
Irish rock star Bono attends a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Friday, Nov. 25, 2005 prior to U2s sold-out show at the Corel Centre. While in Ottawa Bono met with political leaders and addressed world poverty.
Associated Press
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, left, shakes hands with U2 lead singer Bono on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Wednesday, May 12, 2004.
Associated Press
Irish Rock star and frontman for U2, Bono, right, accepts the Pablo Neruda Medal of Honor from the Chilean Ambassador to Ireland Alberto Yoacham at the embassy in Dublin, Thursday Sept. 23, 2004. The award is presented to the 100 most outstanding figures in public life for their contribution to arts and culture all over the world.
Associated Press
U2 frontman Bono, second left, Bob Geldof, second right, Asahi Shimbun general editor Masahiko Yokoi, left, and deputy managing editor Yoichi Nishimura watch a screen during their editorial conference at the Asahi Shimbun Tokyo headquarters, Friday, May 30, 2008. The ubiquitous U2 frontman and fellow musician Geldof were guest editors at Japans second-largest newspaper, the Asahi, on Friday to help organize a special edition on anti-poverty activists favorite subject: Africa.
Associated Press
U2s Bono, left, performs with Brazilian Culture Minister and pop star Gilberto Gil, right, on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006. The singer is attending Salvador, Brazils Carnival as a guest of the minister. At far right is U2s The Edge.
Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.