Today - Mother's Day, May 10, 2026 - one of the most celebrated musicians in history turns 66.
Paul David Hewson, known the world over as Bono, was born on May 10, 1960 in Dublin, Ireland. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of U2 - and his lyrics have frequently included social and political themes alongside religious imagery drawn directly from his Christian faith.
That faith is not a footnote. It is the foundation.
U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band is the only act in history to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in four consecutive decades. Behind all of it - behind "Where the Streets Have No Name," "One," and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - is a man who has spoken openly for decades about grace, Scripture, and what it means to wrestle honestly with God.
Bono and his U2 bandmates shared a commitment not only to ambitious rock music but also to a deeply spiritual Christianity from the very beginning of the band's formation.
He has described grace as the concept that keeps him on his knees - the idea that love interrupts the consequences of our actions, which he has called very good news for someone like himself. That is not rock star posturing. That is honest faith.
Bono has also been a prominent human rights activist for decades, co-founding initiatives including the ONE Campaign and Product Red, dedicating much of his platform to fighting extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa. The work, he has always said, flows directly from his belief that faith without action is incomplete.
Today also happens to be Mother's Day - and that detail is not lost. Bono's mother passed away when he was just 14 years old, and many of U2's most beloved songs were shaped by that loss. On a day when the world honors its mothers, Bono turns 66 carrying that grief, that faith, and that music with him still.
Happy birthday, Bono. The songs still matter.
