U2 singer Bono has shared the heartbreaking reason why he and wife Ali refused to be godparents to Paula Yates and Michael Hutchence’s daughter.
Bono was close friends with INXS singer Michael, before the star’s tragic death in a hotel room in 1997, and reflects on their friendship in his new memoir, Bono: 40 Songs, One Story.
Writing in the memoir, Bono describes how he and his wife became growingly concerned about Paula and Michael’s behaviour – and that they were “wigged out” when the couple asked them to be godparents to newly born daughter Tiger Lily.
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Concerned for “the condition” the couple were in, Bono and his wife refused the offer to be godparents, with the refusal sadly also leading to a breakdown in the close friendship between the two rock stars.
(Image: Aaron Favila/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
In his memoir, Bono writes: “As their behaviour changed [Paula and Michael’s], our friendship became strained, and we grew uncomfortable during their visits.
“It should have been the greatest honour, that day, in 1996 when Michael and Paula called on Ali and me to ask us to become godparents to Tiger Lily. But we were wigged out.
“They were in free fall, spiralling down a vortex of recreational drug use that had become hard work for everyone, especially their family, especially the younger ones.”
(Image: Getty Images)
He continues to say: “Paula had been such a great mother, and Michael, with his attentiveness would have been such a great father.
“It was too much for friends to bear and ignore.
“Ali was out of her mind with worry about how this was affecting a newly born child, so we nervously tried to explain that while they were in the condition they were in, we’d rather not play the role of best friends.
“We’d rather be best friends, and that meant being truthful. Friendship is not a sentimental business.”
Bono continues to say that their refusal to be Tiger Lily’s godparents made Paula and Michael “think again about us”, with the star going on to reveal his regret about the situation.
“We regret this decision. Not just because it didn’t work.
“That we can half live with our conscience is no substitute for the fact that we can’t live at all with our friends. They are gone.”
Bono’s reflection on his friendship with Michael Hutchence and the death of the late star are just some of the life moments that Bono recalls in his engaging, emotional and intriguing rock memoir, which is cleverly interwoven to tell the story of his life through U2’s many famous songs including Stuck In A Moment and (Pride) In The Name Of Love.
BONO: 40 SONGS, ONE STORY IS OUT NOW.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
