Born on this day in Newcastle, England, the oldest of four children, Gordon Matthew Sumner (1951–) earned the nickname “Sting” after wearing a black‑and‑yellow striped shirt to gigs. He started out playing jazz in small pubs, shaping a sound that would later thread music, story, and restless curiosity.

“The bass player really impressed me,” drummer Stewart Copeland recalled of their first meeting. “He just had this golden light shining from the heavens.” With Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers, the trio formed The Police in 1977. Sting played bass, sang lead, and wrote classics like Roxanne, Walking on the Moon, Don’t Stand So Close to Me, and Every Breath You Take before going solo in 1982.

“I like to write music as puzzles. I like to enfold as many levels as possible into a song,” said the reflective songwriter who dedicated Nothing Like the Sun (1987) to his mother after her death from cancer. He lost his father soon after and shaped the grief‑lit The Soul Cages (1991) in his honor. “Music has been a healing influence in my own life. I don’t think I’ll ever stop singing. I think I’ll stop breathing first.”

The Grammy‑winning Brand New Day (1999) explored the secret language of love with beautiful eloquence, featuring harmonica from Stevie Wonder and harmonies from James Taylor. In September 2000, the “Englishman in New York” offered a free open‑air concert in Central Park for 25,000 fans. A longtime environmental advocate, Sting and his wife Trudie Styler support the Rainforest Foundation, channeling fame toward hope and perseverance.