Bono shares how losing his mother at 14 led him to survive on canned goods and how that grief shaped the U2 frontman and his music
Bono, the charismatic frontman of U2 and one of the most recognizable voices in the world of music, opened up in a revealing interview about a period of his life that he had until recently kept out of the public eye. At just 14 years old, Paul David Hewson – as he is his real name – experienced the tragic loss of his mother, Iris Hewson, who died of an aneurysm at the age of 48. This event became a catalyst not only for the man but also for the artist he would later become.
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Speaking to Ruth Rogers for the Apple podcast Ruthie's Table 4, Bono described how grief and loss shaped his teenage years and how, through it, he developed a relationship with food that reflected his state of mind. "After my mother died, I used to come home and eat the simplest things I could find: a tin of meat, a tin of beans and a packet of Cadbury's Smash, the instant mashed potatoes," Bono recalls. "Thinking back then, food wasn't a pleasure, it was just fuel."
Neglecting oneself of basic needs, such as food, is a typical response to great grief. Bono, then a teenager in Dublin, found solace in music rather than in everyday life. He preferred to spend what little money he had on records, such as Alice Cooper’s “Hello Hooray,” rather than investing in meals. This choice shows his innate tendency to create and his need to find a way out of grief through art.
During the interview, Bono also recalled with nostalgia how his older brother, Norman, would bring home “exotic” meals. Working at a nearby airport, Norman would bring in leftover food from airline flights. “They were special moments. Wedding steak with pineapple, an Italian dish called lasagna – we had never heard of it before – or rice that was no longer sweet but savory with peas. Those little touches made all the difference,” Bono said with a smile.
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Despite this, his memories of his mother are few. He admits that the family avoided talking about her after her death, leading to a tacit agreement to leave the past behind. “We never talked about her. We didn’t even mention her name. And when you do that, it becomes difficult to recall memories,” he confessed. “There were definitely moments of tension at the kitchen table – three men arguing often because the woman of the house was away.”
This loss seems to have been the foundation for the emotion and sensitivity that characterizes Bono's lyrics. Many of U2's songs are imbued with themes of love, grief, and reconciliation, which probably stem from those difficult youthful years. Bono remains one of the few artists who manages to marry personal experience with universal messages, creating music that speaks to the hearts of millions.
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Today, at 65, Bono is not just a rock star but also an activist, philanthropist and writer who is not afraid to speak openly about the traumas and hardships that shaped him. His journey from a young man surviving on tinned food and mash in Dublin to the leader of one of the most influential bands in music history is a story of resilience and hope.
