When the news hit social media that David Bowie had passed away on Sunday January 10, hundreds of thousands thought it must be an elaborate hoax. These things often happen in the case of celebrities, and Bowie had just two days prior celebrated his 69th birthday with the release of his 25th studio album 'Blackstar'.
David Bowie dies aged 69
Tongues wagged, but it was son Duncan Jones who confirmed the news on his social media accounts, announcing that his father had indeed passed, and that he would be spending some time away for the internet for a while.
David Bowie was and will forever be an icon. A legend. Those words are thrown about haphazardly nowadays, but in the case of this man, they're 100% accurate. Four decades he spent as one of the most influential artists, musicians and actors of the modern world, and we're lucky to have been able to spend some of our time on this planet with the man himself.
It was in 1969 when Bowie hit the big time, with his hit 'Space Oddity' which reached the top 5 on the UK charts. Picking up traction with fans across the globe it was the first hint of the space theme he offered, before he gained further fame three years later with the release of 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars', where he introduced his alter ego, and spearheaded the record with his single 'Starman'.
1975 came around and Bowie for the first time achieved major success in America with number one single 'Fame', and hit record 'Young Americans'. His experimentation continued and though the sound on this LP radically shifted from his previous work, alienating some fans, it still resonated immensely and kept his name in lights.
The 'Berlin Trilogy' was next on Bowie's agenda. Collaborating with former Roxy Music member Brian Eno, he surpassed expectations with the release of 'Low', 'Heroes' and 'Lodger' - the first two of which came in 1977 before the final chapter 'Lodger' in 1979. All three broke into the UK top 5.
At the start of a new decade, Bowie had UK number ones with both his single 'Ashes to Ashes' and the album it came from, 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)'. His collaboration with Queen spawned one of the most recognisable songs of all time - 'Under Pressure' - in 1981, and he reached an all-time high in 1983 with 'Let's Dance', yielding a multitude of hit songs.
Coming out in their droves, fans queued up from the morning until the night to see the man live in action. On January 17, 1996, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Touring up until 2004, it was in 2006 when Bowie decided to stop performing live entirely.
Just last week, Bowie celebrated his 69th birthday with the release of his 25th studio album 'Blackstar', which at the time of writing sits at number two on the worldwide iTunes album chart.
Throughout his entire career, Bowie sold an estimated 140 million albums. UK certifications include nine platinum, 11 gold and eight silver albums, whilst in the United States he achieved five platinum and seven gold records. He's also won a total of 14 music awards, including two BRITs, a Grammy and an Ivor Novello.
But it wasn't just the world of music that Bowie invaded. The star appeared in many movies and television series, including Labyrinth where he played Jareth the Goblin King, and Basquiat where he stepped into the shoes of another name that will live on forever, Andy Warhol. Even SpongeBob SquarePants saw him lend his voice to the role of Lord Royal Highness in a 2007 episode.
Bowie was a man of many talents, and they will live on forever. Though his life may have been cut short following an 18 month battle with cancer, his legacy will go on. He leaves behind ex-wife Mary Angela Barnett, whom he had his son Duncan with and divorced in 1980, and widow Iman, whom he had second child Alexandria 'Lexi' Zahra Jones with in August 2000.
Tagged in David Bowie