DAVID Bowie was a leading figure in the music industry.
With a career that spanned over five decades, he was named Britain's most influential artist of the last 50 years.
Who was David Bowie?
David Bowie, born David Robert Jones, was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
The English singer and songwriter was born in Brixton, London, on January 8, 1947.
His career is said to have expanded the industry's understanding of visuals, stagecraft, and artistry.
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Having sold around 140 million albums worldwide throughout his career, he is also one of the world's bestselling music artists.
Throughout his decades-long time in the industry, he released 27 studio albums and countless hit songs.
From winning six Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards to having numerous songs in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll, it is an undoubted fact that Bowie led a life full of jaw-dropping achievements.
Bowie was also an actor having taken on roles in movies like Labyrinth (1986) and The Prestige (2006).
How did David Bowie die?
On January 10, 2016, Bowie died at his Lafayette Street home in New York City aged 69.
A statement posted to his social media accounts read: "January 10 2016 - David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief."
The musician kept his illness secret from many of his friends, as well as his millions of fans.
Two days later Bowie was secretly cremated without a funeral service or public memorial as requested by himself.
What were his biggest songs?
Bowie was an artist appreciated and adored by all thanks to his unique approach to his art and countless hits.
Technically speaking, Space Oddity holds a special place for many of his fans as his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart.
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Also among his biggest songs are Let's Dance, Fame, Golden Years, Dancing In The Street, and Blue Jean.
Undoubtedly, China Girl, Modern Love, Day-In Day-Out, Under Pressure, and Never Let Me Down also made it big on the charts.
Some of his other greatest hits include:
- This Is Not America
- Young Americans
- Changes
- Absolute Beginners
- Tonight
- Rebel Rebel
- I'm Afraid of Americans
- Fashion
- Starman
Who was David Bowie's wife and did he have any children?
After becoming a solo act, David Bowie met Angela Barnett, just before the release of Space Oddity in 1969.
The pair married within the space of a year.
According to Barnett, they married “so that I could work”.
She told the Evening Standard: “We got married so that I could work to get a permit.
“I didn’t think it would last and David said, before we got married, ‘I’m not really in love with you’ and I thought that’s probably a good thing.
“Then I think he fell in love with me because he got really mad when we broke up and he behaved like a b****y queen.”
Bowie even said she was like “living with a blowtorch".
Bowie gave birth to their son, Zowie, now known as Duncan, on May 30, 1971.
In 1992 Bowie married his second wife, Somali model Iman, and the couple had a private ceremony in Switzerland.
With Iman, Bowie had his second child, Alexandria "Lexi" Jones, who was born in New York City on August 15, 2000.