Yusuf Islam was born Stephen Demetre Georgiou in London to a Greek Cypriot father and Swedish mother.

BBC: NEWS | Americas | Cat Stevens refused entry to US

After a near-death experience in 1977 helped trigger a spiritual awakening, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens (and the man long ago known as Steven Demetre Georgiou) converted to Islam and retired from secular music-making in 1979.

NPR: Yusuf Islam: the Former Cat Stevens on His New CD