An article from a couple years ago:
U2 front man Bono has defied doctors orders and started smoking again -- in a bid to keep his voice sounding butch.
The star, who kicked the habit three years ago after a potentially career-ending sinus infection, this week claimed tobacco had given his singing a more masculine edge.
He told a specially-invited audience in New York he was surprised when listening to early U2 albums at how feminine he sounded.
"I thought I sounded like a girl at times," he admitted.
"That’s why I first started smoking cigars and putting my voice through reverb -- to try to make it sound better."
Bono, who has already curbed his drinking after discovering he is allergic to certain enzymes in wine, had struggled to quit smoking for years.
He picked up the habit in the 1990s, but was admitted to hospital during U2’s massive PopMart tour in 1997 after suffering persistent problems with his voice.
He underwent surgery on his nose, throat and ears at Dublin’s Blackrock Clinic to clear a blockage in his sinuses.
Doctors warned him at the time that smoking was likely to aggravate the complaint, saying that further infections could permanently damage his singing.
But the star stunned fans at a question and answer session at New York University last weekend by casually lighting up a cigar as he chatted about his career.
Under new legislation brought in by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg smoking is to be banned in bars and restaurants throughout the city from the end of the month.
Pals say Bono is well aware of the dangers of smoking and tries to limit himself to the odd cigar.
"He knows the risks, but it is a matter of personal choice.