Bono met his bandmates Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., and David Howell Evans (The Edge) in high school, where they formed the band that would become known as U2. The band is pictured here in 1981.
The Irish rockers scored a recording contract with Island Records in 1980, but their early music flopped. Fortunately, their third studio album, War (1983), became a chart-topper, saving the band from breaking up. By the time U2 released their fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), they were famous across the world.
Today, U2 is one of the most successful bands ever, having released 15 studio albums and sold over 170 million records worldwide.
Over the course of a decade-spanning career, the band has picked up 22 Grammy Awards and received 46 nominations. In 2005, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
U2's groundbreaking tours are responsible for a large chunk of Bono's wealth. The band's 360° Tour (pictured), which ran from 2009 to 2011, is their most profitable. At the time, it set the record for the highest-grossing concert tour ever, banking $736 million. That's a phenomenal $1 billion (£765m) in 2024 money.
The epic trek saw the band play 110 shows across North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and South America, selling 7.3 million tickets in the process.
Business-savvy Bono has also boosted his fortune with a series of side hustles. In 1992, he bought and refurbished the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, transforming the 70-room establishment into a five-star, 49-bedroom retreat.
Additionally, he owns a lucrative real estate portfolio and serves on the board of private equity firm Elevation Partners. The company was an early investor in Facebook, and it's reported that Bono personally banked between $40 million (£32m) and $50 million (£40m) from the smart investment.
Bono is as famed for his philanthropy as he is for his music career. He performed at the Live Aid, Band Aid, and Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of third-world struggles, such as poverty and the African AIDS crisis.
The social activist co-founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) in 2002, which later became the ONE Campaign, an international advocacy charity fighting against poverty and preventable diseases. He also co-founded RED in 2006, a campaign that partners with global brands to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS.
Bono has been awarded several honours for his humanitarian work. He was named a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 2007 and was awarded the Man of Peace Prize in 2008.
Ali Hewson is Bono's wife. The couple met in high school and married in 1982.
While Ali shares her husband's mammoth fortune, her individual net worth is unknown. However, we do have some insight into how she makes her money...
Like her husband, Ali is a dedicated activist. She holds a degree in politics and sociology from the University College Dublin and became involved in anti-nuclear activism in the early 1990s.
She narrated the Irish documentary Black Wind, White Land (1993) about the lasting impact of the Chernobyl disaster and is a patron of Chernobyl Children's Project International. She's also participated in nuclear aid missions to high-radiation exclusion zones in Belarus and campaigned against Sellafield, a nuclear facility in England.
Hewson has also co-founded two ethical businesses. Launched in 2005, sustainable fashion brand EDUN promotes fair trade in Africa.
She also co-founded the skincare brand Nude. The company was bought by Beautycounter in 2016, though Hewson joined the board of Counter Brands, LLC. Both she and Bono remain investors.
Now let's explore how Bono and Ali's children make their money...
Bono and Ali Hewson welcomed their eldest child, Jordan, on 10 May 1989. Jordan shares a birthday with her father, and Bono once called her "the greatest gift I could ever get."
Jordan grew up in Ireland and attended Columbia University, where she earned a degree in political science. She later earned a master's degree in creative writing from the same university. While her net worth is unknown, we do know how she makes her money.
Jordan is a businesswoman who founded the tech company Speakable in 2016. The company promotes social activism, and its first product was an action button allowing people to donate, tweet, or sign a petition after reading an article.
"My dad is a good resource, but I try to keep him away from the company as much as possible," Jordan revealed in an interview with Fortune. "Obviously, I grew up with a lot of opportunity and connections, but ultimately, that will only get you in the door once with a person."
In 2019, Jordan's entrepreneurial endeavours landed her a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Bono's second-born daughter is Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson, though she goes by the more simple name of Eve. "It's very embarrassing," she said of her unique moniker while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show. "My parents were hippies."
Eve has an estimated net worth of $8 million (£6.1m). So how does she make her millions?
Bono and Ali welcomed their first-born son, Elijah, in 1999.
His current estimated net worth is between $1 million (£765k) and $5 million (£3.8m). Let's delve into how he built his fortune.
Bono and Alison welcomed their youngest child, John, in 2001.
Unlike his elder siblings, John prefers to stay out of the spotlight, and little is known about his professional or private life. He does have an Instagram account, though it's set to private, and his famous family avoids posting images of him online.
From one famous family to another, now discover what Mick Jagger's eight kids do and how much they're worth