Latest news with #BillyIdolShouldBeDead
Metro
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Rock star, 69, unsurprised by secret love child after sleeping with ‘millions'
An English singer has admitted he wasn't shocked discovering he'd fathered a child in the 80s due to his promiscuity. Billy Idol – real name is William Michael Albert Broad – first achieved fame in the 1970s London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X. After embarking on a solo career, he released hits like Dancing with Myself and Rebel Yell but spent years out of the public eye in the latter half of the 1990s. Away from the spotlight, the 69-year-old has never married, but was previously in a long-term relationship with singer and dancer Perri Lister. They share son Willem, 36, while Billy also daughter Bonnie, 35, with Linda Mathis. It was just a few years ago that Billy discovered the existence of Brant – finding out he was actually a father-of-three through a DNA test. After Bonnie became a mother, she decided she wanted to find out more about her family tree and was shocked to be see a connection with Brant, whom she soon found out was her half-brother. The discovery forms part of the new documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month. When speaking to iNews about finding out what it felt like to uncover he'd fathered a child during his 1985 tour Rebel Yell, he reflected on his hedonistic lifestyle at the time. 'Maybe a little bit, but the more I thought about it, I guessed there must be something like that,' he responded when asking if it had been a shock. 'We were going around in the '80s and '70s, just having knockdown, drag-out sex with a million people you didn't know. 'A lot of people in the rock world got children beyond their usual relationships.' He was then probed on whether he'd considered the possibility he might have other children he's yet to connect with. 'I think we would know about them now if there were,' he said. Billy, who is now a grandfather of four, went on to share he was now at a 'better place in my life'. He said the fact he was no longer a drug addict allowed there to 'be there' for his children and grandchildren. In the documentary Billy spoke about his children and how he wanted to make up for lost time. 'I really enjoyed being a dad. I always wanted a boy and a girl, and I finagled my way into a boy and a girl. In your own daft way, you've achieved what you set out to do,' he said. 'And I actually had a son that I didn't realise, who I fathered on the Rebel Yell tour without knowing it. So, I somehow finagled this as well.' Once his children met, he noticed how they all shared the 'same quirky sense of humour'. Meanwhile Brant said that after getting to know his dad, he now sees him as a 'man who loves his family'. Over the decades Billy has struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, including heroin and cocaine. In his 2014 memoir, he wrote about waking up in hospital after passing out in a nightclub several times. After collapsing outside a Los Angeles nightclub due to an overdose he ceased his drug use, deciding his children would never forgive him for dying of a drug overdose. He's not taken hard drugs since 2003, but Billy wrote in his memoir he continued to smoke cannabis and drank occasionally. Last year Bily reflected on how his sexual exploits inspired his 1982 hit Hot in the City. More Trending He'd just moved to the Big Apple from London, and was inspired by the club scene, drippingly-hot air and his own desires. 'I was literally hot in the city but also, I felt sexually alive. I was sexually hot,' he told Vulture. He then said his 1983 hit Rebel Yell was about being 'blazing hot' for a girlfriend, who he wanted to make an 'orgasmic cry of love for'. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Ozzy Osbourne all giddy at Black Sabbath rehearsals ahead of epic farewell show MORE: X Factor legend breaks down in tears after being forced to cancel string of shows MORE: The Damned announce 50th anniversary show and are shocked they're 'still breathing'
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Billy Idol isn't surprised he has a secret son: I had ‘sex with a million people'
Oh, to be a lover. Billy Idol is addressing the realization that he fathered a third child. In a new interview with iNews, the singer, 69, admitted that given his promiscuous lifestyle, he wasn't completely shocked when he found out just a few years ago about his secret son, Brant, who was born in the 1980s. 'Maybe a little bit, but the more I thought about it, I guessed there must be something like that,' he said while laughing, 'because we were going around in the 80s, and 70s, just having knockdown, drag-out sex with a million people you didn't know.' 8 Billy Idol performing at the Pine Knob Music Theater in 1987. Getty Images 8 Billy Idol with his son, Brant Broad. Billy Idol/Facebook 'A lot of people in the rock world got children beyond their usual relationships,' Idol added. Idol went through most of his life believing he was only dad to son Willem Wolfe Broad, 37, with ex Perri Lister and daughter Bonnie Blue Broad, 35, with ex Linda Mathis. But thanks to a 23andMe DNA test, Bonnie discovered her half-brother Brant a couple of years ago. The 'Dancing with Myself' singer found out he fathered Brant with a woman during his 1985 'Rebel Yell' tour. 8 Billy Idol with his son Willem Wolfe. Penske Media via Getty Images 8 Billy Idol's daughter Bonnie with her husband and their two kids. Variety via Getty Images When asked if he's considered he could have other children out there, Idol told iNews: 'I think we would know about them now if there were.' The father-of-three also revealed that Brant works in construction. 'We're quite good friends, and I love him. He's a nice guy,' he said about Brant. 8 Billy Idol on stage at The Forum in Los Angeles in 1984. Sygma via Getty Images Idol, who has four grandchildren, explained that he's now able to be more present for his family. 'I'm all set up for that. I'm in a better place in my life,' he stated. 'In lots of ways, I've done everything I wanted, at least to my own satisfaction. And now I'm not a drug addict, I can really be there for them.' Idol first introduced his secret son to the world in 2023 when Brant joined the rest of the family for Idol's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony. 8 Billy Idol with his family members at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in January 2023. Getty Images Bonnie spoke about the journey of learning about Brant and welcoming him into the fold in Idol's 'Billy Idol Should Be Dead' documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month. 'My husband just surprised me with a 23andMe, with a DNA test as a Christmas present,' Bonnie shared in the doc. 'And then a few weeks later, I get the results back on the app and open it and I'm like, who is this? This Brant. And it says his info's like, New York, 1985, looking for my bio dad. I was like, 'What?'' 8 Billy Idol with his son Willem in 1999. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Brant, who was raised by a man he believed was his biological father, explained in the doc that his mom eventually told him about her encounter with Idol. 'I was like, 'Mom, is there a chance Mark might not be my biological father?' And she's like, 'Well, it's pretty crazy, but back in the day, we broke up and I actually spent a weekend with Billy Idol,'' Brant recalled. 8 Billy Idol at a hotel in Tokyo in 1984. Getty Images Brant also said that Idol treated him like his son after the truth was revealed. 'He's definitely showed me a lot of love,' Brant added, 'so I'm blessed.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Idol details near death experiences involving heroin and motorbikes
Rock star Billy Idol has opened up about a slew of near death experiences he went through during the mid-Eighties and early Nighties. The 69-year-old 'Dancing with Myself' hitmaker, real name William Broad, just premiered a documentary about his life, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, at the Tribeca Festival. As the film's title suggests, Idol had multiple scrapes with death in his youth due to heavy drug use. In the first scene, he references a near-fatal overdose in 1984 where he took heroin with some friends in London. After taking multiple lines of the Class A narcotic, Idol turned blue and was resuscitated in an ice bath. 'I nearly died that night. And the next day, we're on Top of the Pops doing 'Eyes Without a Face',' he told the iPaper of the incident. Idol moved to New York City in 1981 to pursue a solo career in music. His debut studio album Billy Idol (1982) became a commercial hit in the US with singles 'Dancing with Myself' and 'White Wedding'. He hadn't received the same warm reception in the UK and wanted his 1983 Rebel Yell album to be a hit at home, selling millions of copies like his music had done Stateside. 'I'm just glad I didn't die,' he said, 'because I had this great album and I wanted to come back to England and say – 'Now what do you think?' I nearly blew that. So I'm glad I lived through it.' Idol had so many near-fatal overdoses in the mid-Eighties that his father, an accountant, flew to America and staged an intervention. 'I needed someone to show me they loved me beyond the music,' Idol reflected. Yet, his father's love couldn't: 'I suppose when you're that young, you just don't see the red flags that much,' he said. In 1990, Idol was involved in a severe motorbike accident he was lucky to survive and almost saw him lose a leg. While in hospital, he was put on a main box that injected him with pure morphine every 12 minutes, which ironically helped him give up drugs. 'I thought, 'When are you ever going to be on something this pure again? Never,' he said. 'How high can you get? I think I'm there.''
Perth Now
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Billy Idol wasn't shocked to find out he had a secret son
Billy Idol wasn't surprised to discover that he had fathered a child during the 1980s. The White Wedding rocker found that he was dad to son Brant Broad after his daughter Bonnie – who he has from his relationship with Linda Mathis – discovered her half-sibling through a DNA test and admits that the news wasn't a huge shock due to his hedonistic behaviour at the height of his fame. In an interview with The i newspaper, Billy said: "Maybe a little bit, but the more I thought about it, I guessed there must be something like that, because we were going around in the 80s, and 70s, just having knockdown, drag-out sex with a million people you didn't know. A lot of people in the rock world got children beyond their usual relationships." Idol has forged a close bond with Brant - who lives in New York and works in the construction trade like his father and uncle did. The 69-year-old rocker said: "We're quite good friends, and I love him. He's a nice guy." Billy recounts in the documentary Billy Idol Should Be Dead – which premiered at the Tribeca Festival earlier this month - how he almost died from a heroin overdose and was relieved that he cheated death so he could enjoy the success of his 1983 album Rebel Yell, which reached the top 10 in the US Billboard charts. The Eyes Without a Face singer said: "I'm just glad I didn't die, because I had this great album and I wanted to come back to England and say – 'Now what do you think?' I nearly blew that. So I'm glad I lived through it." Idol, whose real name is William Broad, struggled with drug addiction during his time in the spotlight and admits that his problems were worsened by the fame that came with music success. He explained: "You start being known by the general public who don't necessarily give a s*** about your music. They just know that spiky blonde hair and go, 'Hey it's Billy!' "That's where the pressure came in, as gradually your world closed down. You're stuck in tiny rooms trying to expand your life beyond that. You might as well be as high as a kite doing that." Billy will celebrate his 70th birthday in November and is now happy to be a doting father and grandfather after overcoming his addiction issues. He said: "I'm all set up for that. I'm in a better place in my life. In lots of ways, I've done everything I wanted, at least to my own satisfaction. And now I'm not a drug addict, I can really be there for them."
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere
Rock Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere originally appeared on Parade. When it comes to rock stars with style, no one does it better than Billy Idol. On Tuesday, June 10, the 'White Wedding' singer, 69, arrived at the New York City premiere of his documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, rocking an all-black look complete with a skirt, blazer, and trendy boots. Idol completed the look with chunky silver jewelry. As always, his signature bleach blonde hair was spiked to perfection. Billy Idol Should Be Dead is a documentary about the musician's rise to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s. As for the somewhat shocking title of the film, Idol found it quite fitting. 'Well, it's one of those things that people usually say when they don't realize I'm still alive. They actually say that: 'Isn't he dead?' Yeah, I should be dead with everything that I did to myself. But it just made me laugh; the idea of that as the title,' he revealed during an interview with The Ankler earlier this month. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 'I think the documentary has got a depth to it, as we really worked on it over quite a long period of time, mainly because the coronavirus was going on while we were making it. It kept getting stopped for one reason or another from the different waves of the virus,' Idol continued. 'But actually it really helped the documentary in the sense that we were able to massage it and really look at what we had and realize what we needed,' he added. 'I think we've got something really good. I think it's a really great documentary that shows a lot of aspects of my life.' Following the red carpet and premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, Idol is set to Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
