Bono feels like 'luckiest man on Earth' after mysterious near death experience

The U2 frontman said the incident left him "very frightened."

ByABC News
December 28, 2017, 10:15 AM

— -- A year ago, Bono says he almost died.

The U2 singer said he had a near-death "physical" scare that he won't describe but said left him "very alone and very frightened."

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the U2 frontman was pressed by the magazine's founder Jann Wenner about what happened, but refused to divulge details, saying, "Well, I mean, I don't want to."

However, Bono did say this much: "People have these extinction events in their lives; it could be psychological or it could be physical. And, yes, it was physical for me."

PHOTO: Bono of U2 performs during the World Stage event as part of the MTV EMAs 2017 at Trafalgar Square, Nov. 11, 2017, in London.
Bono of U2 performs during the World Stage event as part of the MTV EMAs 2017 at Trafalgar Square, Nov. 11, 2017, in London.

Asked whether he felt lucky to get past it, the rocker said, "I am the f------ luckiest man on Earth."

"I didn't think that I had a fear of a fast exit," Bono, 57, continued. "I thought it would be inconvenient 'cause I have a few albums to make and kids to see grow up and this beautiful woman and my friends and all of that. ... And then suddenly you are that guy. And you think, 'I don't want to leave here. There's so much more to do.' And I'm blessed."

PHOTO: Bono of the music group U2 performs at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Sept. 23, 2016, in Las Vegas.
Bono of the music group U2 performs at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Sept. 23, 2016, in Las Vegas.

U2 recently released their latest album, "Songs of Experience," and Bono said his brush with mortality affected the vibe of certain songs.

"Not surrendering to melancholy is the most important thing if you are going to fight your way out of whatever corner you are in," he said. "And I never wanted to surrender to that, so punk rock, the tempo of some songs, suddenly became really important."

The aforementioned health scare wasn't Bono's first brush with death. In 2014, he suffered multiple fractures in a bicycle accident in New York's Central Park.