Bono, who turns 65 on Saturday, 10 May, is best known as the frontman of U2 and a global humanitarian icon, but he has also quietly held another title in the lives of two famous children – godfather. And who wouldn’t want the musical legend in their corner? Just think of the presents.

The rock star has been revealed as the godparent to some of Hollywood’s most well-known offspring, and, in a surprising twist, he has also opened up about one role he deeply regrets declining.

Sources close to the singer confirmed that Bono is the godfather of Knox Léon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, the youngest children of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The choice reportedly stemmed from a longstanding friendship between the rock star and Pitt, both of whom have collaborated on humanitarian initiatives over the years.

“We thought it would be wonderful to have someone who shares our values and desire to make a difference,” Pitt once told reporters. The relationship has remained largely private, though the twins have reportedly visited Bono during U2’s tours and have spent time with his family in Dublin.

However, it seems Brad and Ange weren’t the first celebs to request Bono as a godparent. In his 2022 memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, Bono writes candidly about declining to be the godfather of Tiger Lily Hutchence, the daughter of late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and British television presenter Paula Yates.

According to Bono, he and his wife, Ali Hewson, were approached by the couple to take on the role shortly after Tiger Lily’s birth in 1996. But concerned by Hutchence and Yates’s struggles with substance abuse at the time, they declined.

“Ali and I were unsure,” Bono wrote. “We felt we couldn’t honestly commit to being part of a child’s life in that situation, and we thought saying no was the right thing. But I’ve regretted it ever since.”

The tragic deaths of both Hutchence and Yates – Hutchence in 1997 and Yates in 2000 – left Tiger Lily orphaned by the age of four. She was later adopted by Yates’s ex-husband, musician Bob Geldof.

Despite the regret, Bono has remained active in Tiger Lily’s life and is a close friend of Bob. He was reportedly in attendance when the model and singer got married this year in London, attending the ceremony and a small, intimate gathering alongside her official godfather, fellow rock star Nick Cave.