Billy Idol

His real name is William Broad. The name Idol is based on a report card he received that said, "William is an idle student." He was going to use the name "Billy Idle," but decided an an alternate spelling of the surname so it wouldn't conflict with the Monty Python cast member Eric Idle.

Before launching his solo career in 1981, Billy Idol fronted the punk band Generation X, one of the first acts to emerge from the London punk scene. "I saw the Sex Pistols in May 1976 at the 100 Club and I thought, 'Wow, here we go,'" Idol told Uncut magazine. Inspired by the raw energy of the Pistols and the growing punk movement in New York, he and a few friends set out to create their own version in London. At the time, Idol was still at university, playing '60s covers in a cafeteria band on Friday nights, but his punk instincts didn't fit the setlist. "I couldn't talk them into doing punk rock," he said. So he left school, teamed up with Tony James to briefly join Chelsea, and by November 1976, the pair had formed Generation X, taking the DIY spirit of punk into their own hands.

He suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in 1990. That's why you see him only from the waist up in the "Cradle Of Love" video.