David Robert Jones 1947-2016

[jero]

Singer David Bowie has died at the age of 69 following a battle with cancer.

His son director Duncan Jones confirmed the news and a statement was released on his official social media accounts.

"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer," it said.

"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."

The singer only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday.

There had been rumours about Bowie's health for years.

His last live performance was at a New York charity concert in 2006.

Sixty-six facts about David Bowie

Blackstar, which includes just seven songs, has been well received by critics.

Bowie's breakthrough came with 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

His hits include Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel, Rebel, Life on Mars and Suffragette City.

He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Space Oddity

He also carved out an acting career including his role as an alien seeking help for his dying planet in Nicolas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth in 1976.

He did a three-month stint as The Elephant Man on Broadway in the 1980s.

Bowie also starred in Marlene Dietrich's last film, Just a Gigolo (1978), and played Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).

Bowie was born David Jones in London on 8 January in 1947 but Bowie changed his name in 1966 after The Monkees' Davy Jones achieved stardom.

He was in several bands before he signed with Mercury Records, which released his album Man of Words, Man of Music in 1969, which included Space Oddity, his first UK number one.

(BBC News)

[FORD]

[vandeleur]

Just been watching it unfold on Twitter , just got copy of new cd hadn't had chance to listen to it yet.
Very very sad news

[FORD]

[FORD]

[vandeleur]

[FORD]

[FORD]

You watch this video, and while it's clear that Bowie's age was catching up with him, he doesn't look or sound like a man at death's door here. Not at all....

[Green Manalishi]

Wow . Sad . I met him in 1990 . Absolute class gentleman . Saw him again in 2002 or so . Great showman and more cool tunes than most .
R I P Mr. Bowie and thanx for the sonic waves .

[FORD]

First white performer on "Soul Train" (though to be fair, he was lip syncing)

[FORD]

[twonabomber]

[twonabomber]

[twonabomber]

[Nickdfresh]

It's a shame the greats are beginning to leave us. RIP Mr. Jones/Bowie/Stardust...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Angel]

Damn.

[Von Halen]

Blowie sucked. Is that an oxymoron?

You faggits sit around and bash Warrant, Dokken, Ratt, Van Hagar, Winger, and countless others? But put this pussy music making homo on a pedestal? "Great"? I've never heard one song of his come on the radio, and NOT cause me to turn the channel!

[Angel]

Blowie sucked. Is that an oxymoron?

You faggits sit around and bash Warrant, Dokken, Ratt, Van Hagar, Winger, and countless others? But put this pussy music making homo on a pedestal? "Great"? I've never heard one song of his come on the radio, and NOT cause me to turn the channel!

It's not always about you...

[philouze]

Blowie sucked. Is that an oxymoron?

You faggits sit around and bash Warrant, Dokken, Ratt, Van Hagar, Winger, and countless others? But put this pussy music making homo on a pedestal? "Great"? I've never heard one song of his come on the radio, and NOT cause me to turn the channel!

To each his own, Von. I love the Ziggy and the Scary Monsters albums. I'm not crying, but I'm fucking gutted.

[Anonymous]

I've never heard one song of his

I'm like, so shocked right now...

[Seshmeister]

You faggits sit around and bash Warrant, Dokken, Ratt, Van Hagar, Winger, and countless others? But put this pussy music making homo on a pedestal? "Great"? I've never heard one song of his come on the radio, and NOT cause me to turn the channel!

Kristy will be devastated that you beat her to the first nay saying post...

Bowie pretty much invented glam so was needed for the bands you mention to exist.

Also everything he did was better than Van Hagar.

[FORD]

And even his mid 80s albums were better than Warrant or Winger, for fucks sake!

[twonabomber]

From Tony Visconti:

He always did what he wanted to do. 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.

[twonabomber]

Also everything he did was better than Van Hagar.

Never Let Me Down doesn't get good reviews, and I don't think Bowie even liked it, but I liked it better than Tonight.

Saw the Bowie and NIN tour in '95. I knew Bowie wasn't gonna sing the "crown of shit" line during Hurt.

Bono guested on one song when Bowie played here a few years earlier on the Sound + Vision tour.

[twonabomber]

Fame and I'm Afraid Of Americans from Howard Stern's birthday show

[FORD]

[Kristy]

Bad record deals, tasteless albums (i.e.,Tin Machine) and a dismal tour with Moby. What else? Nailed supermodel pussy but sold out Mick Ronson. Same with Brian Eno. Brought forth Stevie Ray Vaughan but was too cheap to pay him to tour. Sucked Bing Crosby's dick big time. Made some downright awful, boring movies TV shows and did I mention he toured with Moby?

R.I.P. you dead limey. You should have died back in 1976 when cocaine still fueled what was left of your creativity. May we never hear 'Blue Jean' again.

[FORD]

[twonabomber]

Bad record deals

I thought the Rykodisc deal was well received by the critics. But then, Bowie was on RCA before that. Had to be a step up.

[Kristy]

Slave FORD once again demonstrates his suburban immaturity.

[Kristy]

I thought the Rykodisc deal was considered decent. But then, Bowie was on RCA before that. Had to be a step up.

PLUEEEEEZZZEEEE!

He had the fucking nerve to put out this:

[Kristy]

Bowie pretty much invented glam so was needed for the bands you mention to exist.

WRONG, slave Sesh Bowie more or less less ripped off the glam from Lou Reed/Velvet Underground. To me, Bowie always was a poor man's Lou Reed/Iggy Pop hybrid. His real great claim to fame was that he did more cocaine than Elton John.

[TJMKID]

"Young Americans" is my fav tune of his legendary catalog --- doesnt matter what race, gender, or age you are --- you're groovin' when you hear that song!

Plus, it's the most honest and scathing indictment of the plasticity of American society I ever heard. Bowie exposed us for the frauds we are.

RIP, Thin White Duke.

[FORD]

Just for you Kristy.... early Bowie, with Jimmy Page on lead guitar.

[Kristy]

Oh, and two other really god damn fucking important accreditations must be due when it comes to Bowie:

One was (limey) singer Billy Fury who Bowie repeatedly noted as major influence. Bowie took a lot of his stage presence from Fury so much so that Bowie went on to cover Fury's 'Silly Boy Blue' on his first album. 'Wondrous Place' is one on my all-time Fury favs - well, until The Last Shadow Puppets got a hold of it.


The other was obviously Austrian singer Lotte Lenya (you might know her from the Doors covering 'Alabama Song' on their first album)


German composers (pre-Nazi slave FORD era) Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill were also major, major influences. You see, Lotte was Weill's wife. Bowie's decadent and melodious singing style was stolen right from the heart of Lotte Lenya.


Now just shut the fuck up, you suburban cretins. I'm getting tired of educating you all.

[FORD]

Was that a request for Alabama song? well OK then......

[twonabomber]

Marilyn Manson:

My first introduction to David Bowie, was watching "Ashes to Ashes" on MTV. I was confused and captivated.

But it wasn't until my first real stay in Los Angeles, around 1997, that someone told me to take a moment to listen to something other than Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Hunky Dory. So I went for a dizzying car ride through the Hollywood Hills and listened to "Diamond Dogs."

All of my nostalgia, instantly turned to awe. I was hearing him sing about fiction as a mask to show his naked soul. This changed my life forever.

Every song of his was a way for me to communicate to others. It was a sedative. An arousal. A love letter I could never have written.

It has become and remains a soundtrack to a movie he painted with his voice and guitar.

He sang, "Hope, it's a cheap thing."

I don't need hope to know that he has found his way to the place that equals his untouchable, chameleon-genius beauty. The black star in space, that only HE belongs.

This crushing moment of fear and loss can only be treated the way his music has affected everyone who was fortunate enough to hear and love it.

Let's NEVER let go of what he gave us.

Marilyn Manson

[Green Manalishi]

The late R & B singer Luther Vandross was a backup singer for David Bowie for many years . Bowie told him that he was too good a vocalist to be in the background and that he should step out and have his own career , which he did and quite successfully . He told Vandross that he ( Bowie ) should be opening for him ( Vandross ) . Saxophonist David Sanborn also played in Bowie's band and he also went on to his own successful career .

[Kristy]

Marylin Mason. Golly! He is about as relevant and useful as a paper clip on a turtle's back.

[FORD]

The late R & B singer Luther Vandross was a backup singer for David Bowie for many years . Bowie told him that he was too good a vocalist to be in the background and that he should step out and have his own career , which he did and quite successfully . He told Vandross that he ( Bowie ) should be opening for him ( Vandross ) . Saxophonist David Sanborn also played in Bowie's band and he also went on to his own successful career .

Don't forget Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was pretty much unknown (outside of Austin) until he played on the Let's Dance album...

He rehearsed with Bowie's band for the "Serious Moonlight" tour, but pulled out before it actually started....