By Jennifer Elizabeth Masters
From Ziggy Stardust, the Labyrinth to The Elephant Man, David Jones, Bowie was a creative genius. Preferring a quiet life, rather than that of the limelight, David remembered for his lyrics, individuality and his ability to morph.
David's ability to re-create himself is why I respect him so much. Life with David was never boring. David Bowie died at the age of 69 after an eighteen-month bought of cancer two days after his birthday and final album release and farewell to fans, Blackstar. The lyrics of this album apparently, about his death. He knew it would be his last. He had no plans for another tour or concert.
His wife, Iman shared poignant tweets with her followers:
PHOTO IMAGE PRESS / SPLASH NEWS/PHOTO IMAGE PRESS / SPLASH NEWSDavid Bowie's wife Iman (left) shared several emotional tweets during the singer's last weekend on Earth.
"The struggle is real, but so is God," she posted on Sunday at 9 a.m., approximately 13 hours before Bowie's death was announced.
The 60-year-old model began the outpour on Friday, when she shared: "Life isn't about avoiding the bruises. It's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it."
She shared an even more moving message the next day, stressing the value of cherishing every moment.
"Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory," the post read."
Born, David Jones in London, he changed his name with the rise to fame of Monkey's David Jones, to Bowie. With news of the androgynous rock star's death grows his new album heads to number 1 in the UK.
Bowie bent the rules about sex. He cavorted with girls, boys and in 1983 pronounced his claim that he was bisexual the biggest mistake he ever made. He said he was always a closet "heterosexual."
Outspoken in 1982, Bowie called out the network executives live during an interview on MTV, for being racist with the artists who's videos they aired.
Strange and wonderful The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders From Mars was released in 1972. David introduced us to gender-bending looks and personas long before they became commonplace. A trendsetter often copied by others, Under Pressure recorded with Queen, contained the riff copied by Vanilla Ice with his hit Ice-Ice Baby. Interestingly I was listening to Under Pressure on Saturday morning David's birthday while doing my dancing in The Mojave, and thinking about posting it on my blog.
Reble Reble was Bowie's farewell to the glam movement that he helped pioneer. Released in 1974, from album Diamond Dogs, it is Bowie's most covered song. Doesn't it sound like The Stones more recent tunes?
Reble Reble was Bowie's farewell to the glam movement that he helped pioneer. Released in 1974, from album Diamond Dogs, it is Bowie's most covered song. Doesn't it sound like The Stones more recent tunes?
Best known for Golden Years, Modern Love, Space Oddity, Major Tom, Changes, Let's Dance, Under Pressure, Ziggy Stardust, he recorded with Jagger and co-wrote Fame with John Lennon. More from New York Times.
We don't think of David Bowie as a parent, but he was. He has left three children. Zowie Bowie, now named Duncan Jones a director, and daughter Alexandria, 15, with supermodel Iman lives a normal life. Both mourn the loss of their iconic father.
David's best remembered music
"My entire career, I've only really worked with the same subject matter," Bowie told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "The trousers may change, but the actual words and subjects I've always chosen to write with are things to do with isolation, abandonment, fear and anxiety - all of the high points of one's life."
Though rarely seen in public, David is noted for being candid in interviews. His rivalry between himself and Mick Jagger continued till the end of his life.
David's thoughts on life:
Fame:
Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.
Fame doesn't afford anyone anything more than a good seat in a restaurant.
On Life:
As you get older the questions come down to two or three; how long and what do I do with the time I've got left?
David lived in West Berlin in the late 1970's and helped to bring down the Berlin wall. Germany's Foreign Ministry considers Bowie one of the heroes recognized for this feat. Interestingly, David didn't like dancing, though he sang about it often.
Thank you, David, for such a vast and amazingly unique array of music and lyrics for us to enjoy for many years to come. We wish you a safe journey into the beyond!
I don't know where I am going from here, but I promise it won't be boring. David (Jones) Bowie
We agree it won't be boring!
