David Bowie

David Bowie was one of the most influential and renowned British musicians and actors of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was known for his constant reinvention and experimentation with various musical genres, such as glam rock, art rock, soul, hard rock, dance pop, punk and electronica. He also had a distinctive and iconic style and stage presence that influenced many artists and cultural movements. Bowie was born as David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London, England. He developed an interest in music and art from an early age and learned to play the saxophone. He changed his name to David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees. He released his debut album David Bowie in 1967, but achieved his first commercial success with the single “Space Oddity” in 1969, which coincided with the Apollo 11 moon landing. In the early 1970s, Bowie created his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a flamboyant and androgynous rock star from outer space. He released the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in 1972, which featured songs such as “Starman”, “Ziggy Stardust” and “Suffragette City”. He also toured extensively with his band The Spiders from Mars, captivating audiences with his theatrical and innovative performances. He retired Ziggy Stardust in 1973 and adopted other personas and musical styles, such as Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack and the Thin White Duke. Bowie moved to the United States in 1974 and recorded the albums Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station to Station. He experimented with soul and funk music and collaborated with John Lennon on the song “Fame”, which became his first number-one hit in the US. He also starred in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976, playing an alien who becomes a wealthy businessman. In 1976, Bowie moved to Berlin, Germany, where he recorded a trilogy of albums with Brian Eno: Low, “Heroes” and Lodger. These albums explored ambient, electronic and experimental music and reflected Bowie’s personal struggles with drug addiction and depression. They are considered some of his most influential and critically acclaimed works. In the 1980s, Bowie achieved his greatest commercial success with the album Let’s Dance in 1983, which featured hit singles such as “Let’s Dance”, “China Girl” and “Modern Love”. He also collaborated with Queen on the song “Under Pressure” in 1981. He continued to act in films such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986) and The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He also formed a hard rock band called Tin Machine in 1988, which released two albums before disbanding in 1992. In the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie returned to his solo career and experimented with various musical genres, such as industrial, jungle, drum and bass, techno and jazz. He also embraced the internet as a medium for distributing his music and interacting with his fans. He released albums such as Black Tie White Noise (1993), Outside (1995), Earthling (1997), Hours (1999), Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003). He also appeared in films such as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Basquiat (1996), The Prestige (2006) and The Hunger (2007). Bowie stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. He returned from a decade-long recording hiatus in 2013 with the album The Next Day, which was a surprise release and received positive reviews. He released his final album Blackstar on January 8, 2016, his 69th birthday. The album was acclaimed by critics and fans as one of his best and most innovative works. It also contained themes of mortality and farewell, as Bowie had been diagnosed with liver cancer 18 months earlier and kept it secret from the public. He died two days later on January 10, 2016 in New York City, surrounded by his family. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in Bali, according to his wishes. Bowie was widely mourned and celebrated as a musical and cultural icon and a pioneer of artistic expression. He influenced many artists across various genres and media, such as Madonna, U2, Nirvana, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Kanye West, Björk, Marilyn Manson and Neil Gaiman. He was also honoured with numerous awards and recognitions, such as induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and the Brits Icon Award in 2016. He is regarded as one of the best-selling and most influential musicians of all time.