As the lead singer of U2, Bono Vox and his bandmates sold over 170 million records. Music has brought him untold wealth, but not nearly as much as his investments in Facebook since 2009.
During the week when U2 will embark on a new European tour, the 55-year-old singer's Facebook shares have reached a value of close to £730 billion. This makes Bono the richest pop star in the world, ahead of Sir Paul McCartney who is "heavy" at 600 million pounds (over one billion and 520 thousand euros) and Madonna at 712 million pounds (over XNUMX million euros).
When he's not making hits, Bono is a shrewd businessman, most active on the business scene through Elevation Partners, a venture capital firm named after a U2 song. Bono's firm bought 2,3 percent of Facebook shares six years ago for £56 million. Now his piece of the pie is worth 940 million pounds (over one billion and 288 million euros).
Unlike some of his colleagues, Bono has kept financial matters under control since the first steps of U2. That's why today he travels around the world in a private plane, owns a yacht worth ten million pounds, and in his hometown of Dublin you can see him driving a "Maserati". Among the many vehicles she owns is a Tesla electric car.
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, lives with his 54-year-old wife, Alison Hewson, in a huge mansion in the richest part of Dublin, which he joined with a neighboring house in 2004, paying three million pounds for it.
The couple, who have four children, also own a holiday home on France's Mediterranean coast and a £2m apartment at the top of the San Remo building in Manhattan, which was sold to them by former Apple boss Steve Jobs. Together with UXNUMX guitarist David Evans, Bono also owns the "Clarence" hotel in Dublin.
Financial experts once called him "the worst investor in the world," but Bono is likely to have the last laugh. However, the singer often tries to downplay the wealth he possesses.
"I felt rich when I was 20 and my wife was paying my bills. Just being part of this band made me feel blessed," the singer, who grew up in one of the poorer parts of Dublin, previously said.
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