Here are 12 facts you may not know about David Bowie, who died on Sunday just after his 69th birthday and the release of his final studio album "Blackstar." He had been secretly battling cancer.Some of these anecdotes have less to do with the music and more to do with his personality and influence on fashion – but some may show why the actor, singer and songwriter was seen - by his fans at least - as “the coolest man on earth.”• He was an art collector. He told biographer Nicholas Pegg that he had a Tintoretto and “a small Rubens,” but “the majority of what I have are British 20th century.”• Bowie’s wedding to the model Iman included a photograph with his guests of honor. They were the similarly-named Ono, Bono and Eno. (Performance artist Yoko Ono; U2 singer; and producer Brian Eno.)• At the height of his 1970s fame, according to the “David Bowie Is” show staged at London’s V&A museum in 2003, Bowie was earning half a million pounds a year -- a huge amount for the time. He hired a manicurist just for his silver nail varnish.• An early review, from Australia, said that Bowie was “one of the world’s most intellectually brilliant men currently using the medium of the long playing record.” Bowie, who had left school as soon as he could, was said to have laughed out loud.• Shortly after this time, Bowie said he was going to retire from music and become a politician with the aim of becoming British Prime Minister within ten years. In the end, he stuck with music of course.• Bowie was a cool financial cookie. In 1997, he sold $55 million of bonds. These paid out money tied to royalties from his hits over the next decade. James Brown and Iron Maiden tried similar money-raising plans.• At the height of his first fame, amid reports about his bisexuality and crumbling relationship with his first wife, tabloid reporters were obsessed with asking him personal questions, which of course Bowie studiously ignored. His only comment: “There have been some very petty things said.” Spoken with the élan of a true star.• Bowie refused to give any detailed analysis of some of his more oblique lyrics, such as “Life On Mars” with its surreal images about cavemen and Mickey Mouse and sometimes said to be a young girl’s reaction to media images thrown at her every day. Another case in point is “The Bewlay Brothers.” Bowie was first reported as saying that song’s lyrics made no sense, then denied comment to a question if some lines were a reference to the Kray gangsters. He was a great believer in the William Burroughs technique of cutting up phrases and rearranging them into songs, sometimes mixing them further only just before recording the final vocal.• Bowie’s throwaway nursery-rhyme song “Kooks” was written for his newborn son Duncan Jones and finally made it on to the album “Hunky Dory” after nearly being shelved. The jokey composition led to the naming of the British band Kooks.• Bowie said he conceived his side-project Tin Machine as very much a group effort. Names considered for the act included “The Four Divorcés” since its members were divorced when they came together. Bowie told journalists – including the present writer – that the project was a joint effort with the others. At a press conference, he took questions directed just to him in good part.• The first sleeve of “The Man Who Sold The World” showed Bowie reclining with long blond hair in a Mr Fish designer dress. (The music included some heavy rock – at a time when bearded hippies were making acoustic folk.) Bowie pointed out the image was fine because it was “a man’s dress.” Later the record company replaced it with more conventional images. The original was later restored as Bowie requested.• “Station to Station” was recorded in late 1975. At the time, Bowie’s diet consisted of peppers, milk and cocaine. The star was hooked on European electro-pop and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Staying up for days on amphetamines in a Los Angles recording studio, Bowie knocked out his 10th studio LP. It is widely acclaimed as one of the finest of his career.
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