Bono has been bestowed with the French cultural award the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Aurelie Filippetti in a ceremony in Paris.
He received the country’s highest cultural honor for his artistic contributions and philanthropic work.
The Biggest Mouth the Loudest Voice
“This is a huge honor for me, but really it belongs to the band," Bono said. "I’ve got the biggest mouth and the loudest voice, but the music we make comes from each other.
U2 have not released an album since 2009's "No Line on the Horizon" which although a disappointment commercially (by U2 standards) was both a very highly critically acclaimed album in some quarters and labelled a washout in others.
Unconfirmed YouTube Jams Leaked
Recently several unconfirmed jam sessions have leaked on YouTube with rumours of a new album in the works. U2 also performed the Aslan hit "This Is" streamed live from New York in June in tribute to Christy Dignan who is recuperating after treatment from cancer.
Bono is on the board of the Elevation Partners private-equity firm and has invested in the Forbes Media group in the US - reports said the stake was worth about €194 million.
The firm also owns a 1.5% stake in social networking site Facebook, originally purchased for $210m. Bono's stake was valued at approximately US$ 1 billion in February 2012.
