Bono speaks about discovering he had a half-brother – and confronting his father about his past

U2 legend Bono has spoken about the moment he discovered he had a half-brother.

The star discovered the existence of his brother in 2000 but his mother, who died in 1974 when Bono was just 14, never knew her husband had fathered a child with another woman.

The Irish singer was appearing on BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs, which invites stars to discuss the songs that have meant the most to them throughout their lives.

During the show, the subject of his half-brother came up.

Bono told host Lauren Laverne: “I have another brother, whom I love and adore, who I didn’t know I had.

“It’s a very close family. And I could tell my father had a deep friendship with this gorgeous woman, who’s part of the family, and then they had a child. And this was all kept secret.”

Bono’s father died in 2001 but the star was able to speak with him about his half-brother and the other woman in his life.

Bono said: “I asked him, did he love my mother, and he said yes. I said, ‘How could this happen?’ He said, ‘It can’, and that he was trying to put it right.

“He wasn’t apologising, he was just stating: these are the facts. And I’m at peace with it.”

The Beautiful Day singer added that his mother was not aware of her husband’s affair.

He said: “Nobody knew. My father was obviously going through a lot, but partly his head was elsewhere because his heart was elsewhere.

“I’m sure I was hard to deal with. And he was coping with a lot. He didn’t know quite what was going on. And I subsequently understood he was coping with other stuff.”

Listen to Bono’s appearance on Desert Island Discs below.

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