R.I.P. David Bowie, 1947-2016

by Jesse Locke

January 11, 2016

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Mere days after his 69th birthday and the release of his latest album, David Bowie lost his battle with cancer.

David Bowie died peacefully surrounded by family on January 10, 2016 after a private 18-month battle with cancer. This news arrived only two days after his 69th birthday marked the release of Blackstar (★), Bowie’s 25th album. According to his longtime friend and producer Tony Visconti, “His death was no different from his life – a work of art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift.”

Though his string of albums from 1969’s Space Oddity to 1983’s Let’s Dance has been canonized as one of the most awe-inspiring streaks of all time, there’s far more to be found delving deeper backwards and forwards. Following his earliest musical days as Davie Jones, he took on the first of many transformations with an alter ego inspired by frontiersman Jim Bowie and his knife.

Throughout his travels from station to station, Bowie’s openness to celebrate the weirdos of the world and his own sexuality gave hope to freaky moonchildren everywhere. He was a famous musician but he represented so much more than that. Later albums like Outside, Heathen, and now Blackstar prove his creative spirit was never truly at rest. 2016 will continue to be a big year for Bowie even though the man who fell to earth and sold the world has left it. For now, the following passage from Simon Critchley’s 2014 book Bowie sums it all up:

Tags: Music, News, David Bowie, Obituary

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