Live Aid at 40: Where are the iconic performers now after historic concert?

Live Aid was a global phenomenon that took place at the same time, in two separate places, all focusing on helping to raise funds and awareness for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Two concerts took place at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on July 13, 1985. The shows were broadcast to an estimated 1.9 billion people across 150 countries, which made it one of the largest broadcast events at the time.

The impressive line-up in Philadelphia included Madonna, Tina Turner and Mick Jagger, while in London, icons like Elton John and Queen graced the stage at Wembley Stadium. 

Phil Collins notably played at both stadiums for the historic Live Aid concert.

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Here’s a look at some of the biggest acts from Live Aid and where they are now, 40 years later.

Madonna 

Madonna was one of the singers for Live Aid at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. 

Madonna, 66, is the best-selling female recording artist of all time and went on to be the first female artist to generate $1 billion from live concerts. She continues to make new music.

Queen 

The English rock band, Queen, graced the stage at Wembley Stadium for a historic, 20-minute set. Led by frontman Freddie Mercury, the band was on the brink of breaking up prior to the performance. 

Mercury passed away a few years after Live Aid in 1991. Bassist John Deacon, 73, retired from Queen and music in general following Mercury’s death. 

Lead guitarist Brian May, 77, continued on after Mercury’s death and produced solo albums, “Back to the Light” and “Another World.”

Drummer Roger Taylor, who co-founded Queen with Mercury, continues to make music. 

Tina Turner

Tina Turner was another incredible performer at Live Aid. During one song, Mick Jagger even performed with the icon.

Turner died in May 2023.

Mick Jagger

While Mick Jagger performed with Tina Turner at Live Aid, he also took the stage to perform solo hits like “Just Another Night” and “Miss You.”

Jagger, who is best known as the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, is currently still performing at 81.

The Rolling Stones were scheduled to go on tour in 2025 but canceled their U.K. and European shows. The band is reportedly still going on tour in 2026.

Elton John

Elton John was one of the many English musicians to perform at Wembley Stadium. 

John, 78, is still making music. His latest album with Brandi Carlile, “Who Believes in Angels?”, was released in April.

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Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was a performer at Live Aid. During his performance, he broke a guitar string while playing with the Rolling Stones members Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. 

Wood ended up giving his guitar to Dylan to finish his set, which left Wood guitarless onstage.

40 years later, Dylan, 84, continues to make music and has several tour dates scheduled for the rest of this year.

David Bowie

David Bowie performed “Heroes” at Live Aid in 1985.

The English singer died in 2016 from liver cancer after an 18-month battle. He passed away in January, just two days after his 69th birthday.

Sting

Phil Collins and Sting performed “Long, Long Way To Go” at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid.

Sting, 73, has a number of tour dates left this year for his “Sting 3.0” world tour.

Phil Collins

Earlier this year, Collins said he considered making new music, but the longtime Genesis member doesn’t have the drive to do so anymore.

“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick. I mean very sick,” Collins said in an interview with Mojo.

Genisis went on tour in 2022, and Collins joined. He sat in a chair to sing during the performances and his son Nic played the drums. 

At the end of the final show of the tour, Collins announced that it would be the last performance for Genesis.

George Michael

George Michael took the stage at Live Aid with Elton John to sing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

Michael’s band Wham! was initially scheduled to perform, but their time slot was cut short, and George stepped in.

Michael passed away in 2016 from heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver. He was 53.

Tom Petty

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers performed 40 years ago at Live Aid. The group performed their hit, “American Girl.”

Petty died in 2017 at 66. His cause of death was ruled an accidental overdose by the Los Angeles medical examiner.