“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” David Bowie has died at 69 years old. The artist’s hits include Space Oddity, Let’s Dance, Changes, Starman, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars. He was also well known for creating out-of-this-world alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Bowie was much loved by fans, peers and critics for his complete artistry, inspiring wonder and creativity through his ever-changing style of music, fashion and characters. He was not only a singer-songwriter but a multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor. Bowie had only released his latest album … Blackstar last Friday on his birthday. The album has been well received by critics and Blackstar is on course to be number one in the UK this Friday, according to the Official Charts Company, with combined sales of more than 43,000. The new release was intended as a “parting gift” to the world, according to the artist’s long-time friend and producer Tony Visconti. “He always did what he wanted to do, Visconti wrote on Facebook. 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. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn’t, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry.” Tributes have now been made around the world. Hundreds of fans gathered in his birthplace of Brixton, London, to pay tribute to the singer. The gathering soon became a colourful street party, with dedicated fans laying flowers and candles at his mural and taking part in an emotional sing-along of his biggest hits. Crowds also formed outside Bowie’s New York home and in Berlin where he lived in the late 1970s. Other fans have taken to social media to share some of his many profound lyrics and quotes.
