RIP David Bowie

Just seen this  
 
BBC News

Me too. Lemmy was a blow but you had to think, well, there was someone who's days were probably numbered in all seriousness. But Bowie....I just never imagined him as someone who would ever get sick and die. As irrational as that sounds. 

That is a shocker.

I'm playing Life on Mars right now.

I have Lazarus on right now. This is exceedingly difficult to listen to. You could tell he knew. :(

This hits as hard as Lennons death. It wasn't the time yet!!
 
 

I had the pleasure of working with him, he was such a nice bloke with no ego hang up like others I have worked with.
R.I.P. to a true gent.

I didn't believe it when I saw this on the TV as I was preparing breakfast.
 
Of all the the great ones who have passed, Bowie is the biggest shock to me.

I'm a big fan. R.I.P. DB
One of the greats.

It's very cool that he released another album on his birthday, three days ago, knowing that he would not be here. It's like a last gift to his fans. It's called Black Star.

Very sad - a true artist and innovator.

I'm not really shocked by the news.  But I am saddened.  In a time where everything musical sounds the same, loss of truly unique talents such as Bowie is even greater.
 
 

So long Davey Jones.  I think it's tougher when the bigger than life people go. 

I still remember going to bed with a little transistor radio under my pillow waiting for the top 40 countdown to get to #1 which was his song Fame...

David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69
A statement was issued on his social media accounts, saying he "died peacefully, surrounded by his family" after an "18-month battle with cancer".
The singer, who had been living in New York in recent years, only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday last Friday.
The album, which includes just seven songs, has been well received by critics and was intended as a "parting gift" to the world, according to long-time friend and producer Tony Visconti.
Visconti wrote on Facebook: "His death was no different from his life - a work of art.
"He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift.

wiki:
On 10 January 2016, two days after releasing the album Blackstar on his 69th birthday, Bowie died from liver cancer at his New York home. He had been diagnosed with the illness eighteen months earlier.
Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove, who worked with the singer on his Off-Broadway musical Lazarus, explained that Bowie was unable to attend rehearsals due to progression of the disease.
He noted that "Bowie was still writing on his deathbed, I saw a man fighting. He fought like a lion and kept working like a lion through it all."
Bowie's producer Tony Visconti wrote:
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.
 

from BBC "69 facts about david bowie"

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-20944291
 
just a select few:
8. His first-ever release was Liza Jane/Louie Louie Go Home in June 1964, under the name of Davie Jones with The King-Bees.
17. The fictional character of Major Tom has appeared in three Bowie hits - Space Oddity (1969), Ashes To Ashes (1980) and Hallo Spaceboy (1996).
18. Bowie's first US number one was his single Fame in 1975. It was co-written by John Lennon and features the former Beatle on backing vocals.
25. Toni Basil of Oh Mickey fame worked as Bowie's choreographer on his Diamond Dogs tour in 1974. She later worked on his Glass Spider tour of 1987.
28. He voiced the character of Lord Royal Highness in US cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants in 2007.
32. Bowie appeared as Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ.
35. He declined the CBE in 2000 and a knighthood in 2003.
38. Bowie's schizophrenic half-brother Terry killed himself in 1985.
39. Nine years older than David, Terry was the inspiration for songs including Aladdin Sane, All The Madmen, The Bewlay Brothers and Jump They Say.
43. His hit Ziggy Stardust is about Vince Taylor, who wrote Brand New Cadillac - later covered by The Clash.
48. Bing Crosby recorded his last-ever single with David Bowie. Their duet version of The Little Drummer Boy was recorded for Christmas 1977. It was a hit five years later.
51. He plays just about every instrument on Diamond Dogs - including the famous guitar riff on Rebel Rebel.