Bono says he ended friendship with Michael Hutchence over drug use

3 November, 2022

Bono says he ended his friendship with the late IXNS frontman Michael Hutchence over Hutchence’s use of drugs.

In his new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono recalls how he and his wife were close friends with Hutchence and his then partner, Paula Yates, in the 1990s. Hutchence died in 1997 and a coroner ruled he died by suicide while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Yates died in 2000 from a heroin overdose.

Bono went on to claim their friendship began to strain when the couple “spiralled down the vortex of a recreational drug use that had become hard work for everyone, especially their family, especially the younger ones” (via The Times).

He continued: “As their behaviour changed, our friendship became strained and we grew uncomfortable during their visits.”

Bono says they were asked to be godparents by Yates, but he and his wife declined as they were “so wigged out” by the couple’s drug use and subsequently ended the friendship.

“Neither of us dreamed they’d both end up dead so soon. Even now, I can’t believe I’ve just written that,” he continued.

INXS
Michael Hutchence of INXS.

Elsewhere in the book, Bono talked about discovering that his cousin is also his half-brother, the alleged death threats he’s received in his life, and the 2014 controversy in which U2 arranged for their album ‘Songs Of Innocence‘ to be automatically downloaded onto the devices of 500million iTunes users.

Last month, the frontman made a surprise visit to his old secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, where he read from his new memoir.

Bono is currently out on a 14-city book tour dubbed ‘Stories Of Surrender’, which kicked off in New York City yesterday (November 2).

For help and advice on mental health:

For help, advice or more information regarding addiction in the UK, visit the FRANK website. In the US, visit SAMHSA.

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