It all seemed like a hoax, but in the end, it was a simple tweet from his son Duncan Jones that confirmed it.
Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 11, 2016
David Bowie was gone. Just two days after his 69th birthday, and dropping his final masterpiece Blackstar. This was the official report from his Twitter feed:
January 10 2016 – David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle… https://t.co/ENRSiT43Zy — David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) January 11, 2016
And just as word spread everywhere at once, one wanted to simply assume it was the work of a hacker – a very ingenious hacker. But the visionary artist who had spoken to generations and defied what was possible within the artistic confines of a song or film had left us following an 18-month battle with cancer.
David Bowie was simply one of the most enduring, groundbreaking artists of all time. He embraced just about every style, each of which was the entry-point for another segment of music fans. Even beyond the “Thin White Duke” personae that rode the MTV wave into the mainstream, there was something there … beyond the catchy beats: something fiercely unique and beautiful.
Ziggy Stardust. Space Oddity. Fame. Rebel, Rebel. Let’s Dance. Live Aid. Labyrinth. The Little Drummer Boy.
His art often went against the grain of what was popular of accepted at the time, but that’s what made him David Bowie.
The tributes will continue to flow in, and will be more eloquent that anything we can articulate, but Jane Wieldlin probably said it best:
Posted by Jane Wiedlin on Sunday, January 10, 2016
