Update | Music legend David Bowie dies aged 69 after cancer battle: tributes pour in as Hong Kong joins the world in mourning
Tributes from fans from Hollywood to Hong Kong including Kanye West, Ricky Gervais and more.
Legendary music icon David Bowie has died aged 69, according to his official account, after an 18-month battle with cancer.
An official statement was posted on his social media accounts on Monday, while his representatives confirmed it to media.
January 10 2016 - David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with...
Posted by David Bowie on Sunday, January 10, 2016
”Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while,” his son Duncan Jones wrote on his social media account.
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Tributes have poured in from across the world, as his colleagues came together to mourn a giant of the music industry.
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“Nearly brought to tears by sudden news of David Bowie’s passing RIP,” Billy Idol wrote on Twitter.
Comedian Eddie Izzard wrote while he was sad about the news, Bowie’s music would live on forever, while Ricky Gervais said he had lost a hero.
Bowie was active in the music industry for more than four decades, releasing his first album, David Bowie, in 1967.
His work helped to shape the industry, including his seminal album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
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In their 1972 review of the work, Rolling Stone wrote they would give it at least 99 out of 100. “David Bowie has pulled off his complex task with consummate style, with some great rock & roll... with all the wit and passion required to give it sufficient dimension and with a deep sense of humanity,” the reviewer wrote.
A prolific artist, he released about 28 studio albums over the course of his career, working with John Lennon and Freddie Mercury among others.
His new album, Blackstar, had only been released on Friday on his 69th birthday.
Not only did Bowie have a successful music career but his acting work was also well received, including his performance as Jareth in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and the title role in a stage production of The Elephant Man.
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In an official statement posted on his social media accounts, the singer was confirmed to have passed away from cancer.
Bowie is survived by his two children, Jones and Alexandria Zahra Jones, as well as his wife Iman.
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