U2's Bono Says He Might Never Play Guitar Again After Bike Accident

Frontman broke his arm in six places and fractured his eye socket

By Francesca Bacardi Jan 02, 2015 3:18 PMTags
Bono, Clooney WeddingSplash News

This could be an extremely sad day for U2 fans everywhere.

Bono has penned a "A to Z of 2014" blog on his band's website, and in it he reviewed his tumultuous year, which included his horrible bike accident in Central Park. The spill left him with an arm that was broken in six places and a fractured eye socket. After more than five hours in the operating room with the singer, the orthopedic surgeon indicated that Bono would recover after intense therapy.

The U2 frontman, however, said otherwise in his 6,000-word letter. Surprising fans everywhere, Bono wrote, "Recovery has been more difficult than I thought...As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again."

But he remains hopeful that he will rejoin the group as soon as he can. He confesses in the post that it will probably be his only communication with his fans for quite some time.

A.M.P.A.S./Michael Yada

"The consequences of this freak accident are significant enough that I will have to concentrate hard to be ready for the U2 tour in fitness terms...as a result I have cancelled every public appearance and decided this missive is all the communication I can manage for the first half of 2015, beyond muttering and singing to myself of course," he posted.

Although he certainly has been missed, he has had some solid help along the way. He had Coldplay's Chris Martin and legendary Bruce Springsteen sub in for him at the World AIDS Day (RED) Concert in December. But the cool Irish rocker seems to have a sense of humor about his situation, as he added, "The band have reminded me that neither they nor Western civilization are depending on this." Fans might disagree!

In his post he also joked about the actual accident. Not only did he not recall how he ended up in the hospital with wounds such as a broken "hand, my shoulder, my elbow and my face," he also felt embarrassed about his outfit.

"The real injury this year was to my Irish pride as it was discovered that under my tracksuit I was wearing yellow and black Lycra cycling shorts. Yes, LYCRA. This is not very rock 'n' roll."

The accident itself, he wrote, was a little bit cooler than his lycra ensemble.

"I promised myself I would be more mindful of my limits, but just four years on, it happened again—a massive injury I can't blame on anyone but myself, mainly because I blanked out on impact and have no memory of how I ended up in New York Presbyterian with my humerus bone sticking through my leather jacket. Very punk rock as injuries go."

Best of luck to Bono in his recovery!