David Bowie - R.I.P - Legend

David Bowie is dead … but will live on via his music and will never die. I was truly gutted on hearing the news this morning. I think we all lost a hero today.

An announcement on his website reads:

"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief."

Soon has I heard "Space Oddity" on the radio back in 1969, at the age of nine, I was under his spell, which lasted a lifetime, and I still want to be Maj. Tom? At the time, the world was going nuts for space all things out of the atmosphere and here was a song embracing space. Although the whole Ziggy Stardust, Glam Rock thing was not me you couldn’t fault the music he was coming out with during that time.

I could write reams and reams about his music and looking at is massive back catalogue it’s hard to find anything I don’t like. It’s impossible to pick a favourite if I was push to name one quickly it would be ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ but it could be something else tomorrow. He was like a chameleon changing his style and music direction has he felt taking his fans with him and acquiring new fans along the way. His videos were ground breaking with the rise of MTV and later his use of the internet.

Outside the world of music he made is mark when Bowie took the title role in the Broadway theatre production The Elephant Man, which he undertook wearing no stage make-up, and which earned high praise for his expressive performance. In film if you side step Absolute Beginners (1986) universally panned by cities and the audience there are some terrific films. Bowie’s first outing ‘The man who fell to Earth’ (1976) brought him critical acclaim. In 1983, we saw two films released both well received The Hunger, where he plays a vampire a long side Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon. Also Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, where Bowie plays Major Jack Celliers, a prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp.

Bowie has left his mark on the world and I for one is so glad I had him in my life. His androgynous appearance and sexuality made him a regular in the newspapers throughout the 70s/80s.