Singer David Bowie. David Bowie: biography, personal life, creativity
David Bowie didn’t die, he just flew to Mars – many wrote today and I really want to believe it. Let it be someone's cruel joke- flashed through my head when the world media, one after another, began to circulate the tragic news of his death - a man who seemed to never die.
However, even his own death great musician staged it as another act of a play in which he plays the main role. On his 69th birthday, three days ago, he released perhaps his most experimental record in the last 20 years, in which, unexpectedly for everyone, jazz began to play - critics were delighted, fans clapped their hands - and no one could even think that Bowie is terminally ill and has been battling cancer for a year and a half. “Look up, I’m in paradise, there are wounds on me that cannot be seen,” the song from “★” with the biblical name “Lazarus” begins with these lines and now, of course, it is clear that this is not a catchphrase, but terminal diagnosis. The video for the song, which became the singer's last, was also released three days ago - in it, he is in a hospital bed, blindfolded, confronting something that we cannot see. “Look up, buddy, I’m in danger, I have nothing left to lose,” the idol of millions says with ominous fatalism and rises from the bed trembling. At the end of this powerful video, Bowie backs into the closet and closes the door behind him. The play is over. The hero will not return again.
Bowie's contribution to modern music, comparable only to The Beatles, can be discussed for hours. But we won’t do that, but rather remember the main milestones of his amazing career from photographs.
Bowie the Schoolboy (1961).
16-year-old Bowie takes his first steps into music (1963).
The musician released his first album, succinctly titled “David Bowie,” in 1967.
In 1969, Bowie released his second album, Space Oddity. The song of the same name - the story of astronaut Major Tom, stuck in outer space - became his first big hit. You can read more about this composition
In 1970, the musician married American model Angela Barnett. The following year their son Duncan will be born, who in the future will become a famous director. The marriage will last 10 years.
In 1971, Bowie released the hit album Hunky Dory, marking the beginning of his image as a musical chameleon and a man who was not shy about being misunderstood. At the beginning of next year, in an interview, he even admits that he is gay, although he will later regret it and assure that it was rather just a tribute to fashion.
In 1972, Bowie released the concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. On it, the musician appeared in the image of Ziggy Stardust, an alien who arrived on Earth from Mars to save humanity with rock and roll. Ziggy became the most famous character, into which Bowie transformed.
In the same year, Bowie co-produced former Velvet Underground singer Lou Reed's album Transformer, and in 1977 he produced the first solo album of the then forgotten ex-Stooges frontman Iggy Pop, The Idiot.
In 1973, Bowie released his sixth album, Aladdin Sane, the first album that David presented as himself, without images or alter egos. The album cover, photographed by Brion Duffy, has become iconic. Lightning crossing the face is a constant brand that is one of the first to come to mind when talking about the singer. .
Costume for the Aladdin Sane tour, designed by Yohji Yamamoto (1973).
Bowie poses with British model Twiggy for the cover of his 1973 album Pin Up, a collection of covers of his favorite '60s songs.
In 1973, after a Japanese tour, Bowie traveled across Russia in a compartment carriage of the Trans-Siberian Express.
Bowie very quickly became not only a cult musician, but also a fashion icon (1974).
In 1974, Bowie released the album Diamond Dogs, inspired by Orwell's dystopian novel 1984. In the song "Rebel Rebel" he appeared as a glamorous pirate.
After the release of “Diamond Dogs,” the singer moved to New York, becoming fascinated by the soul and funk that dominated the American scene of those years. His next album, “Young Americans,” was recorded under the influence of these genres (1975).
Bowie with Simon & Garfunkel, John Lenn and Yoko Ono at the Grammy Awards (1975).
In 1976, Bowie, by that time already heavily addicted to cocaine, released the album Station to Station, which was based on the image of the Gaunt White Duke - an idle and elegant aristocrat, dressed to the nines, but in reality a dummy.
In addition to music, Bowie managed to star in many films. One of the most famous was his role in the film “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976).
At the end of 1976, Bowie, interested in German music, moved to Berlin, shared an apartment with Iggy Pop and, together with Brion Eno, began experimenting with ambient music. Here he recorded three albums (“Low’, “Heroes” and “Lodger”), called the “Berlin Trilogy”. Below is the cover of the album “Heroes” (1977).
At a concert during the Berlin period (1978).
Bowie dressed as Pierrot, photographed by Brian Duffy. He appeared in a similar image on the cover of the album “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”. (1980)
In 1981, Bowie recorded the famous song "Under Pressure" with Queen.
In 1983, Bowie released the album Let's Dance, inspired by disco and new wave.
In 1985, the musician, together with Mick Jagger, covered the old soul composition from the Martha and the Vandellas repertoire “Dancing in the Street”.
Bowie as the Goblin King Jareth in the fantasy film Labyrinth (1986).
In 1987, Bowie performed at the wall in West Berlin. The speakers were oriented so that the concert could be heard in East Berlin.
In 1992, Bowie married Somalian top model Iman. In 2000, the couple had a daughter, Alexandria.
Bowie and Annie Lennox performing "Under Pressure" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (1992).
In 1995, the musician resumed his collaboration with Brion Eno, became interested in industrial music and recorded the concept album “Outside”. Nine Inch Nails toured with him on the tour in support of the album.
Bowie as Andy Warhol in Basquiat (1996).
The concert to celebrate Bowie's 50th birthday featured Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Placebo, members of the Pixies, The Cure, The Smashing Pumpkins and other stars (1997).
In 1998 cult musician He recorded the song “Without You I’m Nothing” with Placebo. The band's lead singer, Brian Molko, was often called Bowie's lifetime reincarnation at the time.
In 2003, Bowie released the album Reality. During one of the concerts in his support - at the German Hurricane Festival - the musician became ill. After the show ended, he was hospitalized by helicopter. Since then he has actually stopped concert activities. Pictured is with Kate Moss (2003).
In 2005, Bowie appeared on stage with Arcade Fire, which greatly contributed to the growth of their popularity.
In 2013, Bowie, after a 10-year pause, released new album"The Next Day". The debut single from it was “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”. The main female role in the video for the song was played by actress Tilda Swinton (2013).
Bowie in his last lifetime image - in the video for the song "Lazarus", released two days before his death - January 8, 2016.
British legend rock artist, actor, producer and great experimenter David Bowie passed away at just under 70 years old. The cause of death was cancer, which he fought for 18 months. The fifty-year career of the “chameleon of rock music,” as he is often called due to his constant experiments with appearance and style, is enough for more than one biopic. He has been recognized more than once as the greatest of the greatest - Bowie's music has inspired and continues to inspire the most talented musicians of the era, David is one of the most influential Britons of our time, he is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2003 he was almost awarded a knighthood, but refused .
Every person who is at least a little interested in music should read the biography of this great, without a doubt and all “buts,” musician. We are sure that it will not be difficult to find a meaningful article about the stages of Bowie’s formation as a musician and legend, so we will not dwell on the usual “birth, growing up, development”, but will tell you only about a few interesting moments from Bowie's life, which will describe the musician’s personality better than any biographer.
- In August 2011, David Bowie announced his retirement from music. More precisely, the fact that the musician will no longer appear on stage was announced by his biographer Paul Trinca, who also emphasized that the singer will appear on stage only if he is ready to produce a “genuine earthquake.” Two years later, in 2013, Bowie released his first single in 10 years, “Where Are We Now?”, and on November 20, 2015, the title track from the album “Blackstar” was released, which was released in full on the musician’s birthday, January 8, 2016. Both release really had the effect of a bomb.
- Bowie's eyes are one of his fans' fetishes. Firstly, they different color, one is blue and the other is brown. Secondly, the pupil of the left eye is always dilated. According to legend, at the age of 16, David got into a fight with his friend George Underwood over a girl, and he injured his eye. Since then, the pupil has atrophied. By the way, at the beginning of his career, Bowie tried to give significance to this feature of his, actively using a brown pencil along the very line of eyelash growth. Great move!
- Bowie explains his “schizoidness” with two facts from his childhood. He was born in London, but after leaving school he moved to Yorkshire, in the north of England, and lived there on a farm. During his time there he became very familiar with the Brixton slums, with their complex population and social problems, and the peaceful village life. These two opposing worlds firmly settled in the musician’s head and became, in his own words, the basis of his dual attitude towards life and the world.
- In addition to his musical career, Bowie has several film credits to his name, the main one being his first film, released in 1976, “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The film tells about an alien who finds himself among people and tries to maintain his original duality. On the outside he is a man, but on the inside he is still an alien. After watching it, it’s hard to believe that everything described is fiction. Another film that is worth highlighting in the musician’s filmography is “Labyrinth.” Below you can watch an excerpt from the tape.
- Moving to the USA became one of Bowie's the most important moments in his life. He greatly changed his attitude towards the world and the surrounding reality. He was especially surprised by the views of the Americans; they seemed broad and comprehensive to him, unlike those to which he was accustomed in his native Britain, including the attitude towards music: “Here (in the USA) music is a means of total communication. But here (in the UK) music is something to be listened to.”
- Want to know what kind of music Bowie himself liked? Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Velvet Underground, Elgar, Little Richard, The Mekons.
- In the 1980s, pop music underwent further changes. New attitude, new sound, new heroes. Bowie had something to say about this too. It seemed to him that over the course of a decade, music had lost its sexuality and, surprisingly, the musician himself was extremely impressed. Sex neatly and quietly became an almost taboo topic, which gave a lot of new options and opportunities for creativity. This is what the musician stated, although not without fear.
- The bisexuality of a musician is one of the most sensitive and discussed topics. Much has been said and written about this subject by various journalists, but it was best said, unsurprisingly, by Bowie himself. In January 1972, in an interview with Melody Maker magazine, David spoke for the first time about his bisexuality, and in September 1976 he confirmed it again in an interview with Playboy. True, already in 1980 in an interview Rolling Stone he called those confessions “the biggest mistake I’ve ever made,” stating that such a coming out was made for the sake of fashion. A more detailed and extensive comment followed only in 2002, when the musician told Blender magazine that this recognition prevented him from realizing a lot of what he dreamed of. According to the musician, he did not at all want to carry someone’s flag and represent a particular group, even if this was true.
- Famous image fictional character Ziggy Stardust, created by David Bowie for his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, appeared in David's head after meeting rock musician Vince Taylor. This is his alter ego - one of the most replicated images of our time.
This morning, sad news spread around the world: one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century, one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century, died at the age of 69. David Bowie. After a year and a half of fighting cancer, the disease finally won. But millions of fans refuse to believe the obituaries: just a couple of days ago, on January 8, on his own birthday, David released a new album "Blackstar". Maybe this is all a cunning marketing ploy by the brilliant Bowie? After all, he repeatedly “killed” his own stage characters to soon appear on stage in a completely new image. One thing is certain: without this gentleman, the modern pop and rock scene would look completely different. In memory of the musician, we offer a selection unusual facts from the life of this truly extraordinary man
1. Knife Man and Mick Jagger
The real name of the musician is David Jones. A Bowie is the name of an English hunting knife. David decided to take a pseudonym in 1966 so as not to be confused with the then famous vocalist Davy Jones, a member of The group Monkees. What does Mick Jagger have to do with it? It’s just that “jagger” is translated from Old English as “knife”. And young David, being a fan The Rolling Stones , borrowed the idea.
2. Fight with your best friend
Who in adolescence doesn't quarrel with friends? But not all quarrels leave an imprint for life. At the age of 15, the future music legend got into a fight with his friend, George Underwood. Of course, because of the girl. The fist with Underwood's ring ended up in David's left eye. The injury was so significant that Bowie risked going blind. After four months of operations, doctors saved the vision of the future rock star, but the damaged eye lost color perception and its the pupil always remained dilated. Which, among other things, made the musician’s appearance even more unusual.
It is noteworthy that after this drama the guys made peace and remained friends. In the future, artist Underwood will even create illustrations for early albums Bowie. Boys will be boys.
3. Bowie is a “techie”
Despite his early talent in the arts, after school David went to study at Bromley Technical High School, where he studied typographic layout and printing. Which did not stop him from simultaneously studying music and putting together own group.
4. Man on the Moon
Bowie became a star in 1969 after the release of the single "Space Oddity"(“Strange Case in Space”). The topic of space travel was of concern to many at the time, and the “alien” image of the musician took off. The song "Space Oddity" was even played in BBC reports on the Apollo 11 moon landing and Apollo 13 flight.
5. The Man Who Sold the World
A well-known song The Man Who Sold the World performed by the group Nirvana actually belongs to David Bowie. In 1970, the musician in the form Ziggy Stardust released an album of the same name. Kurt Cobain was 3 years old at the time.
6. The Star That Was Afraid to Fly
Despite his rapid career rise and increased interest in outer space, in his youth Bowie was afraid to fly. Even your first visit to Russia in 1973 During the Ziggy Stardust Tour, the musician traveled by land. But the journey was by no means close: the road from Yokohama (Japan) to Moscow took as long as 18 days.
7. Moonwalk
This will be a revelation for many, but the first artist to perform the famous “moonwalk” on stage was David Bowie. Unusual movements were part of his performance on the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour. It is noteworthy that one of the concerts was attended by a young Michael Jackson, who in later interviews said that he was struck by both the performance in general and the musician’s manner of moving in particular.
8. “Adolf Hitler was one of the first rock stars.”
This and similar statements that Bowie allowed himself in interviews in the mid-to-late 70s became the cause of a lot of scandals. Soon the musician began to renounce his previous views in every possible way, publicly take back his words and donate money to anti-racism funds. According to him, at that time he was “out of his mind, completely crazy,” and the culprit was his passion for Nietzsche and, of course, hard drugs. Underline whatever applicable.
9. Made up language
Lyrics Subterraneans from the album Low (1977) written in a non-existent language invented by Bowie himself.
10. 10 groups
Throughout his career, David Bowie was a member of 10 musical groups, and in some he played all the instruments alternately. Here full list his commands: The Konrads, The Hooker Brothers, The King Bees, The Manish Boys, The Lower Third, The Buzz, The Riot Squad, The Hype, Tin Machine And Tao Jones Index.
11. Multi-instrumentalist
Few people know that Bowie is not only a talented poet and performer, but also a top-class musician. He played many instruments beautifully: guitar, saxophone, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, mellotron, stylophone, xylophone, vibraphone, koto, drums and percussion. And at the same time there was left-handed.
12. Max Zorin and Joker
Bowie's unusual appearance and ability to easily change images provided him with many offers to play in films. Especially the villains. For example, a musician was invited to play the role Max Zorin and in bondians(episode "A View to a Kill", 1985) and considered him for the role Joker in Batman. David himself refused the first offer, citing that he did not want to “spend five months watching your stunt double fall from the mountains.” In the end the role went to Christopher Walken. And he played the Joker Jack Nicholson.
13. Pontius Pilate
But Mr. Bowie happily agreed to the controversial role of Pontius Pilate in the sensational Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" in 1988. Since I'm playing villains, it's of biblical proportions.
14. Morrissey
In the early 90s, 70s icon Bowie becomes friends with 80s icon Morrissey (The Smiths). Musicians record cover versions of each other's songs, shower each other with compliments and demonstrate mutual admiration in every possible way. But the legendary friendship ends quickly and ugly in 1995: Bowie invites Morrissey on a joint tour, but in the end Moz performs, in fact, as an opening act for David, while fans are not yet filling the hall. Bowie's demand to replace a musician from his colleague's team with his own becomes the last straw. Under the pretext of illness, Morrissey leaves the tour and never speaks to David again. A few years later, he would only briefly, in his characteristic caustic manner, speak about that incident: “Bowie was a great artist in 1973, but not now.”
15. Tea
Being a true Briton, Bowie nevertheless hated tea. After a mysterious “tea incident” at the age of 5, the musician forever disliked this traditional drink.
16. The King Who Refused the Queen
Bowie has a son from his first marriage. He inherited from his father not only his stage name ( Duncan Zoe Heywood Jones also known as Zoe Bowie), but also talent. True, Duncan is not a singer, he is a director. Among his most famous works is the sci-fi drama "Moon 2112". Apparently love for space travel also transmitted with genes.
19. Iman
In 1992 scandalous star And eligible bachelor Bowie (his first ten-year marriage ended in 1980) married for the second time. The chosen one is the Somali model Iman. The black beauty gave the musician a daughter, got a tattoo of that same Bowie hunting knife on her ankle, and was with her husband until the end.
But the king of rock and roll cannot die. The maximum is to go back to the cold stars while his songs continue to live on Earth.
More rare pictures David and others.
David Bowie: short biography
Called a musical chameleon due to his ever-changing appearance and sound, future rock star David Bowie was born in London on 01/08/47. The real name of the British singer is David Robert Jones. He is with early age developed an interest in music and began playing the saxophone at age 13. David was significantly influenced by his half-brother Terry, who was nine years older and introduced him to the worlds of rock music and beat literature. But Terry was not well. He suffered from mental illness, due to which his family was forced to place him in a mental institution. This haunted David all his life. Terry committed suicide in 1985. The tragedy formed the basis of Bowie's song Jump They Say.
After graduating from Bromley Technical School at the age of 16, David began working as an artist. He continued to play with a number of bands and formed his own called Davy Jones and the Lower Third. Several singles were released then, but none of them gave the much-needed to a young performer commercial impulse.
Carier start
Out of fear that he would be confused with Davy Jones from the Monkeys, the aspiring artist changed his last name - he was inspired by a knife named after the American folk hero 19th century Jim Bowie.
Eventually, David began performing alone. But after an unsuccessful solo album, he temporarily left music world. As often happened in his later life, these years turned out to be experimental for the young artist. For several weeks in 1967, he lived in a Buddhist monastery in Scotland. Bowie later formed his own mime troupe called the Feathers.
Pop star
By early 1969, Bowie had returned to music. He signed an agreement with record company Mercury Records and the single “Space Oddity” was released in the summer. Bowie later admitted that the song came to him after watching Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The composition quickly resonated with the public, in large part due to the fact that the BBC used it during its coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The track was also a success upon its release in the US in 1972, peaking at number 15 on the charts.
Bowie's next album, The Man Who Sold the World (1970), brought him even closer to fame. The recording featured a heavier rock sound than previous compositions and included the song "Everybody's Crazy", dedicated to his brother Terry. The next effort, “Hunky Dory” (1971), included two hits: the title track, which was dedicated to Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground, and “Changes,” which became the embodiment of David himself.
Ziggy Stardust
As Bowie's celebrity status grew, so did Bowie's desire to keep fans and critics constantly guessing. In an interview with Melody Maker magazine in January 1972, he claimed to be gay and then introduced the imaginary rock star Ziggy Stardust and his backing band, the Spiders from Mars, into the pop world. His 1972 album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars, made him a superstar. Dressed in a suit from some wild future, the British singer ushered in a new era in rock music that seemed to officially announce the end of the 1960s and the era of Woodstock.
Was David Bowie gay? The singer's biography is full of contradictory facts. In September 1976, in an interview with Playboy magazine, he announced that he was bisexual. According to his first wife, Bowie had an affair with Mick Jagger. However, in a 1983 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he said that he had always been heterosexual.
More change
David Bowie, whose biography is marked by frequent changes of images, also quickly changed the image of Stardust. The singer took advantage of his popularity and produced collections and Lou Reed. In 1973, he broke up Spiders from Mars and shelved Ziggy. David Bowie musical works in the style of glam rock, collected in the collection Alladin Sane (1973). The release included the songs "Genie Jean" and "Let's Spend the Night Together", which were the result of his collaborations with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Around the same time, he expressed his passion for English fashion and released Pin Ups, an album of cover versions of songs popular groups, including Pink Floyd and Pretty Things.
Conquest of America
By the mid-1970s, Bowie had undergone a full-scale reinvention. Gone are the outrageous costumes and flashy sets. In just two years, he released the albums Diamond Dogs (1974) and Young Americans (1975). The former went to number one in the UK with the hits Rebel Rebel and Diamond Dogs, and number five in the US. Promotional tour of North America ran from June to December 1974. The big-budget production featured theatrical special effects, but was marred by David Bowie's mental illness. Documentary Cracked Actor, directed by Alan Entob, depicts a pale and emaciated singer suffering from a severe drug addiction. Young Americans featured a young Luther Vandross on backing vocals, and the song "Glory", written with Carlos Alomar and John Lennon, became Bowie's first American single to hit number one on the charts.
After moving to Los Angeles, David Bowie recorded the song Station to Station, which made the plastic soul of the Young Americans collection more avant-garde, and the track became a hit. Bowie soon decided that the city was too boring for him and returned to England. After arriving in London, he greeted crowds of fans with a Nazi-like wave of his hand, a manifestation of the drug-addicted singer's growing detachment from reality. The incident caused a huge scandal, and Bowie left the country to live in Berlin, where he lived and worked with Brian Eno.
In Berlin, David came to his senses and began to draw and study art. He became interested in German electronic music, and Eno helped record their first joint album, Low. Released in 1977, the release was a stunning blend of electronic music, pop and avant-garde. Although the collection received mixed reviews, it proved to be one of the most influential albums of the late '70s, as did its follow-up, Heroes, released the same year. In 1977, Bowie not only recorded two collections of solo compositions, but also produced recordings of Iggy Pop's tracks "Idiot" and "Lust for Life" and toured anonymously as his keyboardist. That same year David resumed his acting career, starring in the film Just Gigolo with and Kim Novak. He returned to the stage in 1978, starting an international tour, the recording of which was released as a double album, Stage.
In 1980, David Bowie, whose biography was again connected with New York, released the collection Scary Monsters. The release received positive reviews and included the single "Ashes to Ashes", a kind of new version early composition “Cosmic Oddity”. The release was accompanied by a number of innovative videos (Fashion, DJ, Ashes to Ashes), which became the basis of early MTV.
Three years later, Bowie recorded the album Let's Dance (1983), which contained numerous hits such as " Modern love" and "Chinese Girl", and the virtuoso guitar playing of Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Works in cinema
Of course, music is not the only thing David Bowie was interested in. The singer's biography is marked by his participation in many feature films. His love for cinema helped him get the lead role in the 1976 film “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” In 1980, Bowie performed on Broadway in The Elephant Man, and his performance was critically acclaimed. In 1986, he starred as Jareth in the fantasy adventure film Labyrinth, directed and produced by George Lucas. The actor performed with a young Jennifer Connelly and the dolls in the film, which became a classic of the 1980s. Just a Gigolo (1978), Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, Hunger (1983), Linguini Incident (1991) - pictures in which David Bowie played the main role. Films he played in cameo roles- “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) and Zoolander (2001). In addition, he participated in several television series, as well as documentaries about his career.
In decline in popularity
Over the next decade, David Bowie tried to combine films and music, which negatively affected his popularity. Music career the artist began to decline. His side project with musicians Reeve Gabrels and Tony and Hunt Sales, known as Tin Machine, produced two self-titled albums in 1989 and 1991, which were failures. The much-hyped 1993 compilation Black Tie White Noise, which David Bowie called a wedding gift for his new wife, supermodel Iman Abdulmajid, also struggled to gain the attention of music lovers.
Ironically, David's most popular creation from this period was bonds backed by royalties from his pre-1990 work. Bowie issued the securities in 1997 and earned $55 million from the sale. The rights to the songs were returned to him when the bonds expired in 2007.
Last years
In 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack while performing on stage in Germany. He made a full recovery and returned to work with the band Arcade Fire and American actress Scarlett Johansson on her album Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008) - a collection of cover versions of Tom Waits compositions.
David Bowie was awarded a Grammy Award in 2006. He remained silent for several years until the release of his 2013 album, which rocketed to number two on the Billboard charts the very next day. IN next year Bowie released a compilation best songs“Nothing Has Changed”, which presented new song"Sue". In 2015, he participated in the production of the rock musical Lazarus with Michael Hall in leading role, which refreshed the image of his character from the film “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”
Mine last album Bowie released Blackstar on 1/8/16, his 69th birthday. The New York Times critic noted that it was "a strange, irreverent and ultimately rewarding work, with a mood created by a poignant awareness of mortality." Only a few days later the world learned that the album was recorded under difficult conditions.
Death and posthumous awards
The pop icon died on January 10, 2016, two days after his 69th birthday. A post on his Facebook page stated that the singer died quietly surrounded by his family after a year and a half of battle with cancer. David Bowie's wife Iman, his son, daughter Alexandria and adopted daughter Zulekha Haywood were left without a husband and father. The musician's legacy consists of 26 released albums. His producer and friend Tony Visconti wrote on Facebook that Blackstar was a "parting gift."
David Bowie's death shocked his friends and fans. Iggy Pop tweeted that his friendship was the light of his life. He had never met such a brilliant person. " Rolling Stones"remembered him "wonderful and kind person", which was "truly original". And even those who did not know him personally felt the influence of his work. Kanye West tweeted: "David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations." According to Madonna, this great artist changed her life.
In February 2017 last work Bowie won in the Grammy categories for Best Production Design, Best Engineering, Best Rock Performance, and Best Album alternative rock" and "Best Rock Composition".
David Bowie: biography. Family
In the late 1960s, the British singer met American top model Angela Barnett. Their wedding took place on March 19, 1970, and on May 30, 1971, the couple had a son. They divorced in 1980. Bowie's son is now known by his real name, Duncan Jones.
On April 24, 1992, in Lausanne, David married the Somali-American model Iman. The wedding took place on June 6 in Florence. In August 2000, the couple had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones. The couple lived in New York and London, and owned apartments in Sydney.
On July 10, 2016, exactly 6 months after the death of David Bowie, his grandson was born, whose father was Duncan.
