Bono is richest musician thanks to Facebook (BLOG)

In some circles, he's the most awesome rock star alive. In still others, he's the most obnoxious and most likely to crash a G8 Sum...

In some circles, he's the most awesome rock star alive. In still others, he's the most obnoxious and most likely to crash a G8 Summit. And today, there's another superlative you could apply to Bono. As of 4 p.m., Bono will become the wealthiest musician in the world, NME reports - and it's all because of Facebook.

Facebook goes public this afternoon, and because the U2 frontman's investment group, Elevation Partners, owns 2.3% of the company, the music mag estimates that Bono's Facebook shares could earn him more than $1.5 billion US. (As MTV notes, Paul McCartney, the current richest musician alive, has an estimated fortune of $1.05 billion.)

So, yes, hooray for Bono. Don't spend it all at one Sunglasses Hut. There's just one (point five billion) thing: it's not just Bono who owns those Facebook shares. As Rolling Stone reports, it's Elevation Partners -not Bono alone - who holds claim to that 2.3% share. Bono is the group's co-founder and managing director, but as UK paper the Daily Telegraph reports, the group also includes nine more managing directors, never mind any additional investors. As Rolling Stone reports, that $1.5 billion in Facebook bucks will be shared between everyone associated with the Elevation Partners investment - and who's to say Bono would even sell his shares.

Nevertheless, Bono is very, very, very rich. Last year, for instance, Forbes put U2 on the top of their World's Highest Paid Musicians List; the band made $195 million in a 12-month period, according to the magazine.