David Bowie, one of the most influential rock stars, has died of cancer at the age of 69.The British musician, whose career kick-started glam rock in the 1970s, died only days after releasing his latest album, his best in years. He had just marked his birthday.The singer, songwriter and actor had been suffering from cancer for 18 months, according to a statement by his family on his official Facebook page. Bowie’s career included the acclaimed albums “Station to Station,” “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,” “Young Americans,” “Let’s Dance” and “Heathen.”His early music owed a lot to cabaret and pop, gradually moving towards the hard rock of “The Man Who Sold the World” and eclecticism of “Hunky Dory.” The Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane phase that followed was the height of glam rock. “Young Americans” added soul and then he moved to Berlin for a trilogy of experimental albums such as “Low.”His singles included “Space Oddity” from 1969, his first chart-topper, followed by more than 100 others such as “Starman,” “Life on Mars?” “Rebel Rebel,” “Heroes,” “Sound and Vision” and “Modern Love.” “Dancing in the Street” was with Mick Jagger, and “Under Pressure” was with Queen.Bowie, who was born David Jones, frequently changed his image and went through a whole series of personalities such as Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke. He was described as a chameleon, but the one thing he never did was blend into the background.At a 1988 news conference to announce a side band, Tin Machine, Bowie was keen to say he was just one of the musicians, but all the questions were aimed at him. Seen backstage at other musicians' concerts, he was the center of attention: bands like U2 were as much fans as those in the audience.As an actor he starred in films such as “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”His son Duncan wrote on Twitter: “Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all.”Bowie was inactive for some years after health problems before making a surprise return with “The Next Day.”Bowie’s long-time producer Tony Visconti said on Facebook “He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of art. He made ‘Blackstar’ for us, his parting gift.”Madonna said she was “devastated”: Bowie “changed her life.” Kanye West said in a statement: “David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.”The latest “Blackstar” album was being analyzed for its meaning by fans as it came out, with some thinking it was warning of a star or asteroid crashing into the earth and destroying it. Now they may find new meaning, with the videos of Bowie lying stricken on a bed. The song “Lazarus” starts with the line “Look up here, I’m in heaven.” The video shows him mummified and wearing button discs like coins on his eyes; he retreats into a coffin-like closet. The star had kept is cancer battle secret but in retrospect many songs reference his short mortality. Fans will see his name lasting a lot longer.
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