The name 'Billy Idol' was coined due to a chemistry teacher's description of Idol on his school report card as 'idle'. He then joined the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, a loosely organized gang that travelled to see the band wherever they played. In October 1975, he began attending the University of Sussex to pursue an English degree and lived on-campus (East Slope), but left after year one in 1976. His family later moved to the Worthing suburb of Goring-by-Sea in West Sussex, where he attended Worthing High School for Boys. In 1971, the family moved to Bromley in southeastern London, where Idol attended Ravensbourne School for Boys.

The family returned to England four years later and settled in Dorking, Surrey. His younger sister, Jane, was born during this time. They also lived in Rockville Centre, New York. In 1958, when he was two years old, he moved with his parents to the US and settled in Patchogue, New York. Idol is half Irish, his mother was born in Cork and is an O'Sullivan. His parents were devout Anglicans and attended church regularly. Idol was born William Michael Albert Broad on 30 November 1955 in Stanmore, Middlesex, England.

He made a musical comeback with the release of Devil's Playground (2005) and again with Kings & Queens of the Underground (2014). Idol spent the second half of the 1990s focusing on his personal life out of the public eye. Idol then released Charmed Life (1990) and the concept album Cyberpunk (1993). Having accumulated three UK top 10 singles ('Rebel Yell', 'White Wedding' and ' Mony Mony') Idol released a 1988 greatest hits album titled Idol Songs: 11 of the Best the album went platinum in the United Kingdom. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of two million copies in the US. Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles ' Rebel Yell' and ' Eyes Without a Face'. With music videos for singles ' Dancing with Myself' and ' White Wedding' Idol soon became a staple of then newly-established MTV. His debut studio album, Billy Idol (1982), was a commercial success. In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded. With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea. The name 'Billy Idol' was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as 'idle'. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven ' Second British Invasion' in the US. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British singer, songwriter, musician and actor.

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