David Robert Jones better known as David Bowie, the iconic English rock star, has died at age 69. Media reports about the sad news saying Bowie lost his battle to cancer.
His son, Duncan Jones, confirmed the news in a statement was issued on his social media accounts.
“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer”
David Bowie was also a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor. His hits include Let’s Dance, Changes, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars.
He’s influence in pop culture has been undeniable for over 4 decades, with many important figures recognizing his showmanship and innovation.
Bowie is survived by his wife Iman and two children, son Duncan and daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones. As our own tribute, here is what we’d like to tell you about the legendary star.
The son of a waitress and a nightclub owner, David Jones became David Bowie, who became Ziggy Stardust, who became Aladdin Sane, who became the Thin White Duke. All of them were fictitious. All of them became iconic.
Bowie was also successful in acting. His roles include Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976. He also did a three-month stint as The Elephant Man on Broadway in the 1980s, with other roles that decade including Labyrinth, Cat People, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Hunger.
The late 1980s were dominated by Bowie’s Tin Machine. The 1990s saw David Bowie flirting with drum-and-bass on the Earthling album, while his 2002 album Heathen saw a long-awaited return to form for the singer.
Wives
David Bowie married first wife, Angela Barnett in 1970. The couple tied the knot in London. During the time they were married she was known as Angie Bowie. The couple produced one child, son Duncan Bowie, born in the early 70’s.
Mary Angela Barnett was born September 25, 1949. Angela is part of a rock folklore era and is reported by The Mirror to be the woman who actually helped David Bowie create Ziggy Stardust.
Angie said during an interview she met David through their mutual friend, record executive Dr. Calvin Mark Lee.
66-year-old Angela Bowie described Bowie as a bisexual and said at one point, Bowie had had a relationship with Mick Jagger. Angie Bowie and David parted ways in 1980, after a decade of marriage.
Angie went on to marry Andrew Lipka with whom she had one daughter, Stacia Larranna Celeste Lipka.
In 1992, David made Somali-American fashion model, actress and entrepreneur Iman, his second wife. Born Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid July 25, 1955; she’s known as a pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics, she is also noted for her charitable work.
Iman has been much of innovator like Bowie, on her own field of course. They were both big faces in the showbizz industry when they tied the knot. It was David’s second marriage but it was the third for Iman.
She first tied the knot to a Somali man, the union ended when she moved to America to pursue a modeling career. In 1977 she wedded basketball player Spencer Haywood with whom she has a daughter, Zulekha Haywood, born in 1978. Iman and Haywood divorced in 1987.
Iman and Bowie became parents in 2000. She gave birth to the couple’s only child, Alexandria Zahra Jones.
Iman and Bowie were married for 24-years. She is now his widow.
Girlfriends
David Bowie married only twice but had other relationships. Though his sexuality was mystery during big part of the 70’s and 80’s, biographers say is probably true that Bowie was never gay, nor even consistently actively bisexual.
He was more of a “a taboo-breaker and a dabbler … mined sexual intrigue for its ability to shock” according to Biographer David Buckley.
In the late 70’s David Bowie came out as a bisexual, only to say a few years later to Rolling Stone, his public declaration of bisexuality was “the biggest mistake I ever made” and “I was always a closet heterosexual.”
Bowie is said to have had an affair with Mary Finnigan. She became an author and Bowie’s biographer. According to the Bristol Post, Bowie became Mary’s lodger and lover during the late 1960s and together the pair started an arts movement and put together the UK’s first free festival.
Mary Finnigan currently resides in St Andrew’s, Bristol. She is a 77-year-old grandmother who is a cancer survivor herself.
Children
Film director Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones was born to David and his then wife Angela. Duncan directed Bafta-winning film Moon. Duncan Jones graduated as a director from the London Film School.
Duncan and photographer Rodene Ronquillo have been married since 2012. That same year she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones, born in August 2000. She is the second child of David Bowie and the first and only daughter he had with second wife, Iman.
David Bowie, who had been living in New York in recent years, only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday. He went on to have 24 top ten singles in the UK charts, and six number ones.
