Where are the original Band Aid stars now? 40 years on from hit Christmas single
IT’S been forty years since Band Aid was created – releasing one of the most recongised and iconic Christmas song.
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure formed the group, which aimed to highlight the plight of the famine in Ethiopia.
It led to the release of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ which shot to the number one spot all the way back in 1984.
The festive tracked featured all the biggest singers and musicians of the 80s, including George Michael, Boy George and Phil Collins.
Earlier this week the BBC announced a range of programmes set to air to mark the 40th anniversary of Band Aid.
The special shows will take place on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music as bosses also mark the death of Quincy Jones.
But with Do They Know It’s Christmas set to climb the charts again this year, where are the original members now?
Bob Geldof
The 73-year-old has had a tough life, having lost his wife Paula due to a heroin overdose in 2000.
In a further tragedy his daughter Peaches also died in 2014 at the age of just 25.
These days Bob is still passionate about activism, though is rarely seen in the limelight.
George Michael
The former Wham! singer left his millions of fans devastated when news broke of his death on Boxing Day in 2016, having died on Christmas Day.
A post-mortem later determined that the 53-year-old had dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis – a condition that sees the heart become inflamed. George also had fatty liver.
Prior to his death George was still touring and went on to have a successful career since leaving Wham!
Phil Collins
Phil’s voice is instantly recongisable and the singer is still performing to this day, though concerns have been raised about his health.
The now 73-year-old has been open and honest about his acute pancreatitis, which causes the stomach to swell.
He also suffers from “foot drop” which sees the star where orthopedic shoes.
Phil has been married three times, with his final wedding to Orianne Cevey ending in 2008.
Midge Ure
Midge went on to have a highly successful career after Band Aid but hasn’t been without his struggles.
He’s been open about his battles with alcoholism and confessed about nearly losing his family in his book.
The star wrote: “I got close to being kicked out of our home. It must have been boring for Sheridan to have me staggering around at 2am trying to get into bed.
“It caused a rift and she asked me to stop. I did but started again – I abused her trust and couldn’t see that I was in danger of losing my family and my life.”
Paul McCartney
Despite being highly successful in his own solo career after leaving The Beatles, Paul joined Band Aid.
Paul, who is now 82, also faced tragedy like his former bandmates when he lost his wife Linda McCartney to breast cancer in 1998.
He did remarry and said ‘I do’ to Heather Mills but the pair divorced after six years.
Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer carved an impressive career for himself and released new music in 2018.
In 2009 Boy George was jailed for 15 months after being found guilty of imprisoning a male escort, though was released after four months.
Now 63, Boy George also paved a TV career for himself, having previously been a judge on The Voice UK as well as starring on the British version of Drag Race.
David Bowie
David Bowie sadly died in 2016 at the age of 69, sending shock waves through the music world.
He is still regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, with his hits such as Starman, Heroes and Life and Mars still receiving airplay.
Bowie was also a successful actor and held roles in hits such as Zoolander, Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Band Aid's 40th anniversary on the BBC
On BBC Radio 2, Zoe Ball presents Do They Know It’s Christmas?: The Song That Changed The World (12-1am, Sunday 1st December, and on BBC Sounds from Monday 25th November) – a one hour documentary which tells the story of the world’s most successful charity record across the years.
On Monday 25th November, in honour of today being the 40th anniversary of the recording of the song, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am) will be switching on Christmas on Radio 2, playing the first festive songs of the season. The show will also feature a selection of guests who have been associated with Band Aid across the years, as well as hearing from listeners sharing their memories of that iconic day. Later that day, Jeremy Vine (12-2pm) will be covering the anniversary in more depth, looking back to when it was recorded and what has followed since.
Later that week, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer present a new 75-minute documentary, The Making of Do They Know It’s Christmas? The song was recorded over the course of one day at SARM Studios in Notting Hill, and was filmed by director Nigel Dick. Whilst some of the footage was used for the iconic music video, much of what Nigel recorded has remained unseen for four decades and some of it has never been seen before, until now.