[Editor’s Note: Audio will be added shortly. Thank you for your patience.]
British rock star David Bowie has died. He was 69 years old.
His family confirmed his death on Bowie’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. They wrote that he died peacefully on Sunday “surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.”
Last Friday, the iconic singer turned 69. That same day, he released his album, Blackstar. Bowie mixed rock and jazz on the album. Critics have described Blackstar as his best work in years.
On social media, fellow musicians, longtime fans and even astronauts mourned Bowie’s death. So far, more than 4 million Tweets worldwide have mentioned the music legend.
A woman with a Ziggy Stardust tattoo visits a mural of David Bowie in Brixton, south London, Jan. 11, 2016.
Madonna wrote several tweets about Bowie’s musical influence. She tweeted: “Talented. Unique. Genius. Game Changer. The Man who Fell to Earth. Your Spirit Lives on Forever.”
Bruce Springsteen tweeted that Bowie “was a visionary artist and an early supporter of our music.”
From the International Space Station, British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted: “Saddened to hear David Bowie lost his battle with cancer — his music was an inspiration to many.”
The German Foreign Office posted a farewell to the rock star. “Goodbye, David Bowie. You are now among Heroes. Thank you for helping to bring down the (Berlin) Wall.”
David Bowie lived and worked in West Berlin for several years in the 1970s, with musician Iggy Pop. In June of 1987, Bowie returned to the divided city for a concert. Some Germans say that show changed history, and helped bring down the wall.
Bowie later said of the concert, “It was one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever done. I was in tears.”
As news broke of his death Monday, fans worldwide were in tears, as well.
Twitter user @JacktheladRadio wrote: “I have tears in my eyes. What a man, what a bloody amazing, pioneering brilliant man.”
We leave you with the music video of the 1969 hit Space Oddity. The song rocketed David Bowie to fame. The song is about an astronaut in space. It evokes the loneliness of the Cold War space race. The song came out in the same month that men first walked on the moon.
What is your favorite David Bowie song? Let us know in the comments section.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
iconic –adj. a person who is very successful and admird?
legend – n. a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well
evoke – v. to bring (a memory, feeling, image, etc.) into the mind