U2 Join Bono At Father's Funeral

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8.24.01 - CNN.com

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Members of the rock band U2 sang a tribute at the funeral of frontman Bono's father. Bob Hewson, 75, died earlier this week from cancer after a long illness.

He was buried on Friday in the Old Balgriffin Cemetery in Co Dublin after an hour-long mass at the Church of the Assumption in the nearby fishing port of Howth.

Bono, real name Paul Hewson, his wife Ali and their four children, and his brother Norman led the mourners.

The Roman Catholic Church at Howth was packed to capacity for the requiem mass which was held as small groups of local people and U2 fans stood outside in the rain.

The three other members o f U2 -- The Edge (real name David Evans), Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen -- also attended the funeral.

After the service Mullen and The Edge helped Bono, together with his brother, to carry the coffin from the church.

Near the end of the mass Bono and The Edge sang a song dedicated to Hewson Snr, called Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own.

Among the congregation were a number of celebrities, including U2 manager Paul McGuinness, ex-Boyzone singer Ronan Keating and veteran singer Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners group.

Another member of the congregation was former Irish presidential candidate Adi Roche, who works closely with Ali Hewson to raise funds for the child victims of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and Gerry Corr, father of Irish family singing group The Corrs.

The funeral went ahead just 24 hours before the start of U2's first Irish concert for three years.

The show is being staged on Saturday at Slane Castle in Co Meath before an audience of tens of thousands.

Earlier this week, after hearing of his father's death, Bono paid tribute at a concert in Earl's Court, central London, to the man he said had been a support and inspiration to him throughout his career.

He dedicated the song Kite to him and told the thousands of fans: "I want to thank my old man, my father, for giving me this voice.

"He was a fine tenor and always said if I had his voice who knows what might happen."

He told the congregation: "Dad had a beautiful tenor voice."

Copyright © 2001 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. All rights reserved.

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This page contains a single entry by Jonathan published on August 24, 2001 3:58 AM.

Bono's Father Dies was the previous entry in this blog.

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