Rock star Bono was among the featured guests sitting alongside First Lady Jill Biden at President Joe Biden's 2023 State of the Union address.The Irish lead singer of U2 sat alongside the family of Tyre Nichols and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shootingThe guests were invited “because they personify issues or themes” Biden will address in the speech or they embody administration policies that are working for the American people, the White House said.Above video: Joe Biden calls for an overhaul of cancer research, care in State of the UnionBono was tapped for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief initiatives.Working with other activists, Bono played a pivotal role in building public and bipartisan political support for the creation of PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), a program announced by President George W. Bush in his State of the Union 20 years ago.PEPFAR is credited with revolutionizing the provision of life-saving HIV medications in poorer countries and saving 25 million lives worldwide, the White House said. Bono is the co-founder of the nonpartisan ONE Campaign, which works with governments to fight poverty and preventable disease, which has raised more than $700 million from businesses to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa."Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President Bush and countless advocates and champions, we undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s been a huge success," Biden said Tuesday. "I believe we can do the same with cancer. Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all." The cameras cut to the rock star after Biden told the story of 3-year-old Ava Barron. At only 1 year old, Ava was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer, given a small chance for survival.The young girl’s parents, Maurice and Kandice, wrote to Biden during her grueling treatment.Marice and Kandice later said Ava beat the odds and is on her way to being cancer free, and she watched the address from the White House Tuesday night.