He lived with Perri Lister from 1980-89. They had 1 son.
Was kicked out of the Boy Scouts at age 10 for making out with a girl
When Billy was 3, his father moved the family to Long Island, NY, to "find the American dream," as Billy puts it. When the family moved back to the UK in 1962, they lived above a pub called The Running Horses in Dorking, Surrey.
In 1994, he was treated in a Los Angeles hospital after an apparent drug overdose.
In 1992, he pled guilty to assault and battery charges after punching companion Amber Nevel outside a West Hollywood restaurant. He paid $2,700 in fines and was required to appear in a series of anti-drug commercials.
Survived a motorcycle accident in February 1990. A steel rod was inserted into his right leg.
Had a band called Generation X. With them, he cut "Dancing With Myself" which launched his solo career.
Nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for the albums "Whiplash Smile" and "Rebel Yell."
During the making of the "Eyes Without A Face" video, he was temporarily blinded when the heat from studio lights fused his contact lenses.
Chose his surname in 1976.
Was in The Bromley Contingent with Susan Dallion, later of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and John Simon Richie, later known as Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols.
Dropped out of the University of Sussex after 1 year.
Is a vegetarian.
Son with ex-girlfriend Perri Lister, Willem Wolf Broad (b. 15 June 1988)
For the filming of the clip "Cradle of Love", he was paralysed from the waist down (due to his motorcycle accident) so he was filmed from the torso and up.
His name is from a bad paper he made in school. In the margin his teacher had written a short note to his parents: "Billy is Idle". Billy took that as his name, but changed it to "Idol", so not to be confused with actor Eric Idle.
Billy Idol makes his feature film debut in The Doors. Idol first burst onto the world music scene in the mid-'70s as lead singer of the British punk band Generation X. When he saw that the punk movement was stagnating, Idol left London and relocated to New York.
While recording his self-titled album in 1982, he formed a partnership with producer Keith Forsey, and the two have worked together ever since, producing a string of hits beginning with Hot in the City, White Wedding and Dancing With Myself. The release in 1983 of Rebel Yell, an album which dominated the airwaves for more than a year, earned Idol a Grammy nomination and three huge hits -- the title track, Eyes Without a Face and Flesh for Fantasy.
The album Whiplash Smile followed (which contained the singles Sweet Sixteen and To Be a Lover, the latter earning Idol another Grammy nomination for best male rock vocal in 1987). Next came Vital Idol," which included a No. 1 smash hit for Idol, the live version of Mony Mony.
In 1990, Idol had just completed Charmed Life when he suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident which forced the cancellation of his original role in The Doors. Director Oliver Stone found another part for Idol, and the character of Cat is actually portrayed on crutches.
Five leg operations later, Idol rebounded from the accident with an extensive world tour which began in August of 1990. To date, Charmed Life has sold in excess of 1 million copies and has produced three hit singles for the rock star: Cradle of Love, L.A. Woman and Prodigal Blues. Idol also received a 1990 MTV Video Award for the David Fincher-produced Cradle of Love video.
