Dedicating the song '(13) There is a Light', to the pastor and author, he said: "To the great Eugene Peterson, who left us last night. A beautiful spirit who opened up the Scriptures, opened up so much else, to me, to us, to lots of people here. A beautiful soul."

 

The two struck up a friendship in recent years sharing a video online of the pair expressing their love of the Psalms.

Bono first endorsed Eugene Peterson's translation of the Bible in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 2002. He said The Message "has been a great strength to me".

 

Peterson died this week after being admitted into a hospice following what his son Eric said was a "dramatic turn in his health caused by an infection".

He was being treated for pneumonia and experienced heart failure and dementia, with his care becoming primarily palliative.

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Bono took time out of his concert at London's O2 Arena this week to pay tribute to creator of the Message Bible Eugene Peterson who died earlier this week.