Trivia

Following the 9/11 attacks, he issued a statement "expressing his horror at the attacks on the innocent people of the United States". He also stated that "no right thinking Muslim would ever condone such Acts".

On a flight from London on September 21, 2004, he was refused entry to the United States on national security grounds. The flight had already taken off before his name was spotted as being on the American "watch list". The plane was diverted to Bangor, Maine, where he was taken off and returned to London.

Decided to pursue religion after nearly drowning off the coast of Malibu, California. He converted to Islam after his brother took a trip to Jerusalem.

Family: Is of Greek Cypriot heritage - his father is Greek, mother is Swedish. Has four daughters and one son.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

Wrote "Sweet Scarlet" for love interest Carly Simon and she wrote "Anticipation" for him.

Abandoned the music business in 1978 and converted to Islam.

According to British newspapers of October 1966, he said that he chose the name Cat Stevens because a girl told him that he looked like a cat.

Re-recorded hit song "Peace Train" for the collective album "Hope" (April 2003) in support of peace for Iraq.

Changed his name from Stephen Georgiou to Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam.

Parents are Stavros Georgiou and Ingrid Wickman.

Universally derided in 1989 when he allegedly went on record supporting the Ayatollah Khomeini's death sentence against The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie. Stevens's records were burned and taken out of stores, and many radio stations permanently boycotted his music. Nearly a decade later, Stevens claimed he was highly misquoted, that he did not support the Ayatollah's sentence. Rather, he merely reiterated the Koran's teachings about those who "defame the prophet". Stevens says he bears no ill will towards Rushdie, and did not wish for him to be killed.

Released in November 1968 after spending three months in hospital recovering from tuberculosis.

Released his first album in 17 years - "Life of the Last Prophet" (1995); It contains 66 minutes of narration about the life of Mohammad plus three traditional Islamic songs.

Refused to license his song "Father and Son" for use in Moulin Rouge! (2001). It was the first musical number in the original script. Because of his current religious beliefs, he objected to the sexual content in the film. The scene featuring "Father and Son" was to have been between Christian and his father in his father's office, with all his father's employees joining in for the chorus. This was to be the segue into his leaving home for Paris. The scene is included in the complete script on the Special Edition DVD.

He first hit the British record charts in October 1966 with the stage name Cat Stevens. The following year, the Italian "spaghetti western" God Forgives... I Don't! (1967) began filming, and this was the first of three such westerns in which Italian actor Terence Hill would coincidentally play a character named Cat Stevens.