Why Are Mick Jagger, Bono and Other Rockers in the Epstein Files?

As the Department of Justice has continued releasing millions of files regarding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the world has looked on in horror as tales of abuse, sex trafficking and murder seem all too evil and gruesome to be true.

Epstein, who died in jail in 2019, was hugely wealthy and successful, often socializing with the cultural elite. As such, a wide array of politicians, socialites, celebrities and media moguls appear in the Epstein files. Musicians do too.

The collection of famous rockers who appear in the Epstein files may come as a surprise to some, but it’s very important to remember context. The millions of documents that were collected include plenty of mundane emails, like press releases and newsletters. For example, in a 2013 email, Epstein was invited to a screening of the film Muscle Shoals. The documentary featured interviews with a long list of rock legends, including Bono, Gregg Allman, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Steve Winwood and Aretha Franklin. These names are mentioned in the invitation, and so have been itemized in the Epstein files.

Which Rock Stars Are in the Epstein Files?

Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elvis Costello and Janis Joplin are among the artists who appear because of press releases, bios and YouTube links. Elton John appears in emails regarding his AIDS foundation and Oscars functions.

Elvis Presley is mentioned in an email to Epstein from producer/director Michael Jurkovac pitching a content creation company called FashionTrust. Part of the pitch included a reference to the successful campaign surrounding the 2002 compilation album Elvis: 30 #1 Hits. Similarly, Kurt Cobain is referenced in a book titled A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps Towards Enlightened Living that is fully transcribed in the Epstein files. In it, Cobain is mentioned as a negative role model affecting “impressionable youth of today.” Epstein also seemed to be following Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, on Twitter.

One prominent person who connected Epstein with A-list stars was Peggy Siegal, an entertainment publicist whose media marketing firm worked with some of the biggest celebrities in the world. Correspondence between she and Epstein regularly name-dropped an extensive collection of famous artists – all of which are detailed in the files.

Below, we’ve delved into several other notable rockers who appear in the Epstein files. It is important to note that none have been accused of any wrong doing. Their appearances are largely a reflection of Epstein’s social standing and should not be interpreted as an indictment of their actions. Just having your name in the Epstein files is not a crime, and should not be regarded as such.

Mick Jagger

A name that appears many times in the Epstein files is Mick Jagger. One photograph, posted without any context, showed the lead singer of the Rolling Stones seated between former President Bill Clinton and Epstein at a table with others. A separate picture showed Jagger with Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite regarded as Epstein’s chief enabler. Elsewhere, a 2003 FedEx receipt confirmed that Epstein and Maxwell sent a package to Jagger’s UK home.

Several emails Siegal sent Epstein mention Jagger. The publicist attended the Cannes film Festival every year and would share notes about her celebrity encounters each time. Among the messages, Siegal detailed a 2010 private party aboard a yacht owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, where Jagger was one of the guests. Later, in an email from 2017, Siegel mentioned attending an AIDS fundraiser hosted by Elton John. There, she again ran into Jagger, remarking: “Every time he talks to me, I faint.”

A 2010 email from Epstein’s personal secretary, Lesley Groff, asked if Jagger should be invited to an upcoming dinner. Days later, a separate email (from a redacted sender) said the following: “Mick Jagger’s assistant rang saying Mick rec’d my message and would love to come to your dinner party but is in France at the moment. She said he will be in NY after the New Year and would love to connect then.”

In a series of 2011 emails between Epstein and Boris Nikolic – a physician and investor with ties to Bill Gates – Epstein seemed to be assembling a short guest list. “I can find out if Mick Jagger, Ken Starr, Clinton, Julie Taymor, are in town?” he noted. It is unclear what party or event this was connected to.

A 2011 article from the Palm Beach Daily News, featured in the files, described Epstein’s address book as the “Holy Grail of famous names.” Jagger is among the A-listers mentioned in the story.

The Beatles and Paul McCartney

Epstein may have been a Beatles fan – or, at the very least, enjoyed discussing the band. The group’s name appears in a wide array of press releases and news stories culled from Epstein’s archives, with Paul McCartney also garnering numerous mentions.

In a 2009 email, scientist and close collaborator Lawrence Krauss asked Epstein: “Have you completed your ‘tour’ of McCartney bass lines?” When someone named Kathy emailed Epstein a message for his 64th birthday, he responded by referencing the Beatles “When I’m Sixty-Four.”

In September 2009, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem sent Epstein an email chronicling McCartney’s $49 million divorce settlement with Heather Mills, and comparing it to the scandal surrounding New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who retired after getting linked to a prostitution ring.

“Had Paul McCartney ‘employed’ [Spitzer’s prostitute] for 5 years, he would have paid $7.3 million in total, for sex every night for 5 years: (a $41.7 million savings),” the message said. “Value-added benefits are: a 22 year old, no begging, no coaxing, never a headache, happily agrees to all requests, no complaining, no honey-To-Do lists, Best of all, she leaves and returns when asked. All at 1/7th the cost and NO legal fees. Sometimes leasing just makes more sense.”

In an email from November 2010, Siegal checked in with Epstein regarding a long list of upcoming events. She asked whether Epstein wanted to attend the Kennedy Center Honors, where McCartney was an honoree. In a follow-up email, Siegal told Epstein the following: “Jeffrey: just left the Chairman’s Council lunch at Kennedy Center. Nancy Showell, Barbara Walter’s niece is dating Paul McCartney. Paul is an honoree tomorrow night…and of course Babs is glued to his and Nancy’s hip. We should invite Paul McCartney to dinner….or you should WITHOUT ME Monday night or another night.”

Epstein also had regular conversations with close friend Mark Tramo, a professor at UCLA. In a 2010 email, Tramo asked Epstein if he had “given any thought to buying all the Beatles publishing rights.” A 2012 text message from Tramo said: “”McCartney Grammys 2012 ‘Golden Slumbers.’ Voice not quite like record Abbey Road of 1969 but never done live til recent tour. Hard to pull off w orchestration + hard rock mixed medley. Instead of George and John trading riffs on guitar it’s Paul, Bruce Springsteen, othersxxx.” An email several years later confirmed that Tramo gifted Epstein the Beatles White Album 6 CD and Blu-Ray set. In a 2018 email to Epstein’s assistant, Tramo noted in part: “Jeffrey is a Beatles fan like I am – we agree no one can sing like John or Paul!”

In July 2013, Las Vegas VIP host Patty Kripitz confirmed tickets for Epstein to see Rod Stewart at Caesars Palace in 2013. She also recommended he check out the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show Love, though it is unclear if Epstein took her up on the offer.

Epstein purchased 10 tickets to a special benefit show by McCartney on May 12, 2015, at New York’s Javits Center. One of those tickets seemingly went to his personal secretary, Groff, who thanked Epstein in an email dated May 13. “Wow! What an amazing evening!!” she wrote in part, describing it as a “once in a lifetime” experience and adding that McCartney “put on a great show.”

Bono

U2 frontman Bono appears in the Epstein files several times, largely due to his ties to political and philanthropic causes. Bono co-founded the ONE Campaign in an effort to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa. The non-profit was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (Bill Gates had a long history with Epstein.)

In a 2009 email to Maxwell, Epstein said he “loved your Bono Mick story,” assumingly referencing the U2 and Rolling Stones singers. The same year, a redacted emailer asks Epstein about who they should invite to a symposium discussing power. Bono is listed as a proposed participant.

The Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark stage musical, which featured music from Bono and bandmate the Edge, is referenced in several emails. Siegal mentions she is attending a preview of the show, while a later email chain with a redacted party mentions the Spiderman musical again – this time Epstein noted that the production was a financial failure.

Siegal detailed “a magical time” in the South of France in a 2010 email: “Bono held court and told hilarious stories about Bob Dylan, Prince who performed in Nice the night before, Van Morrison and Pink Floyd.”

In a 2011 email to Epstein, lobbyist and power broker Ian Osborne mentioned a conversation with Napster co-founder Sean Parker, who he claims was “was out raising hell with Bono last night.” In a separate email from around the same time, Osborne tells Epstein that he and Parker have to fly to Dublin for “an important dinner with Bono.”

Additional mentions of Bono’s philanthropic work, political activism and his appearance at the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, appear in the files. In one email, Epstein said Bill Gates “is going to stay at his hotel. with Bono… —boring.”

Three years later, Gates sent an email to Epstein which noted: “On Friday I go to Paris and see political leaders and then a day with Bono and an advocacy group he has — ONE.”

There’s also a curious chain of emails in which a redacted sender asks Epstein for advice starting a company called The Mothers Army. Epstein recommends getting famous and powerful mothers involved, with Bono’s wife Ali among the names discussed.

Bruce Springsteen

Siegal again is one of the primary reasons Bruce Springsteen appears in the files. In a 2009 email, she mentioned she “sat with Bruce Springsteen at Man Lauer’s dinner Friday night.” In another email that year, she boasted to Epstein about attending a party in the Hamptons where Springsteen was one of the guests. In a separate correspondence, Siegal revealed to Epstein that she was working on an event honoring actor Tom Hanks, at which “Bruce Springsteen is surprise finale and singing.”

Epstein attended the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief, a benefit which included performances by Springsteen, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney. He casually mentioned the event in some of his emails.

In a 2014 email to Krauss, Epstein noted, “I have recently seen Rolling Stones, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, [Steven] Pinker, [Richard] Dawkins etc. All good performances doing their oldies.”

Meanwhile, a redacted sender asked Epstein in a 2017 email if he had an apartment available for comedian Bobby Slayton to use while in New York. The email mentions that Slayton, “wants to go to Springsteen concert with his brother and bring you a bday gift.” In another 2017 email, Slayton again asks for one of Epstein’s apartments to stay in while he and his girlfriend attend Springsteen on Broadway.