AGE: 47
OCCUPATION: Lead singer of U2, activist, philanthropist
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 3
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2
PRO: The Irish singer-songwriter escalated his good works by implementing the retail program Public Red to raise AIDS awareness funds. He also guest-edited the Africa issue of Vanity Fair. Getting knighted was just a bonus.
CON: Critics charged Public Red was primarily benefiting corporations, and U2 was scamming the Irish government by seeking a tax shelter for their song catalog in Amsterdam.