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Legendary Musician David Bowie Dies at 69

11:55, Monday, 11 January, 2016
Legendary Musician David Bowie Dies at 69

David Bowie, the seminal British musician behind such era-defining hits of the 1970s as “Space Oddity,” “Major Tom,” “Young Americans” and “Fame,” has died. He was 69.

News of Bowie’s death was confirmed on the artist’s official Facebook page late Sunday.

“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” Bowie’s family said in a statement.

The androgynous singer and songwriter also appeared in films including “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” “The Hunger” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.”

His latest album, “Blackstar,” was released Friday to positive reviews. His son, director Duncan Jones, also tweeted the news.

After releasing his first self-titled album in 1967, the singer of astonishing vocal range first gained notice with the song “Space Oddity” in 1969. His 1971 album “Hunky Dory” is widely considered one of the best rock albums of all time, spawning the perennial hit “Changes.”

Bowie then entered the glam rock phase of his career, releasing the album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” and taking on the Ziggy Stardust persona. His catalog of releases through the 1970s, also including “Aladdin Sane,” “Diamond Dogs,” “Young Americans,” “Station to Station,” “Low” and “Heroes,” represents one of the towering creative periods in rock history, with songs like “Rebel Rebel,” “Jean Genie,” “Young Americans” and “Heroes” mixing musical genres from glam to soul to electronic music in ways that had never been heard before — or since.

His “Berlin triology” albums, “Low,” “Heroes” and “Lodger” were electronic and more experimental collaborations with Brian Eno that radically departed from what other 1970s rockers were doing, though Bowie never really embraced the punk rock sounds of that era, remain singularly sui generis.

Starting at the beginning of the 1980s, he turned to more danceable sounds, in sync with the new wave and disco movements coming into vogue, with hits like and “Under Pressure,” the 1981 collaboration with Queen and “Let’s Dance” in 1983.

Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and was ranked 39th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 23rd on their list of best singers of all time.

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