Death of David Bowie
Flowers outside Bowie's apartment in New York in January 2016 | |
Date | 10 January 2016 |
---|---|
Location | New York City, New York, U.S. |
Cause | Liver cancer |
Deaths | David Bowie |
On 10 January 2016, English singer, songwriter and actor David Bowie died at his New York City apartment, after having liver cancer for the past 18 months. His death occurred two days after the release of his twenty-fifth studio album, Blackstar, which coincided with his 69th birthday.
Because Bowie had kept his illness from the public, fans were surprised by the news. Makeshift memorials were created in London, New York City, Berlin, and other cities in which Bowie had lived; sales of his albums and singles saw a significant increase. Many commentators noted Bowie’s impact on music, fashion and culture and wrote of his status as one of the most influential musical artists of all time, while numerous musicians and public figures also expressed their grief.[1][2]
Timeline
Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer in mid-2014.[3] Bowie told only his family and people he was working with about his condition; Ivo van Hove, with whom Bowie was collaborating on the off-Broadway musical Lazarus, was told shortly after Bowie himself found out about his diagnosis.[4] Tony Visconti, Bowie's friend and producer of many Bowie albums including Blackstar, was told in January 2015. Visconti recalled that Bowie was completely bald from his chemotherapy when they spoke.[5] However, many musicians who had worked with Bowie over the years, such as Mike Garson, Gerry Leonard, Brian Eno, Nile Rodgers, Reeves Gabrels, Sterling Campbell, Earl Slick and Gail Ann Dorsey, were not told about the illness and were surprised when Bowie died.[6][7]
By mid-2015, it was hoped that the cancer was in remission, but by November 2015 the cancer had spread throughout his body and Bowie was told his condition was terminal.[8]
Bowie's last public appearance before his death was at the 7 December 2015 opening night of Lazarus.[9]
Bowie released his final studio album Blackstar on 8 January 2016, his 69th birthday.[10][11][12] Bowie died on 10 January 2016, and his official Facebook page posted the message "Jan. 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."[13]
On 12 January 2016, in accordance with his will, Bowie was cremated in New Jersey and his ashes were to be scattered in accordance with Buddhist rituals on the island of Bali.[14][15] Bowie had vacationed in Bali in the 1980s and had written the song "Tumble and Twirl" about his exploits there.[16]
Reaction
Fans
Memorials to Bowie were created around the world in the hours following his death. In Brixton, the London area in which Bowie was born, a mural painted in 2013 by Australian artist Jimmy C became a shrine at which fans left flowers, records and handwritten messages.[17] The mural features Bowie as he appeared on his iconic Aladdin Sane album cover, with a lighting flash across his face. In Berlin, fans left flowers outside the flat in which Bowie and Iggy Pop had lived while Bowie created his seminal "Berlin trilogy" of albums—Low, Heroes and Lodger—in the late 1970s as well as Pop's albums The Idiot and Lust for Life (which Bowie produced).[18] Flowers were also left outside Bowie’s New York apartment and next to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.[19] In Milan, fans held a flash mob memorial service in Colonne di San Lorenzo[20] while fans in Rio de Janeiro paid tribute to Bowie in February's Rio Carnival.[21] In Japan, hours after Bowie's death, a devoted fan was arrested for threatening to commit suicide with a box cutter in public.[22]
Other musicians
Tony Visconti, who produced a number of Bowie's albums including the "Berlin trilogy" and Young Americans, 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".[23] Mick Jagger said "David was always an inspiration to me and a true original. He was wonderfully shameless in his work. We had so many good times together ... He was my friend. I will never forget him". Friend and collaborator Iggy Pop described him on social media as "the light of my life", while singer Madonna tweeted: "Talented. Unique. Genius. Game Changer" and sang "Rebel, Rebel" at her Houston concert. The rock group Queen, with whom he collaborated on "Under Pressure", tweeted a link to the video of the song, with the words: "This is our last dance...."[24] Elton John commented that "we all know how inspiring he is. We all know that his music stands. We don't have to say anything about the music: it speaks for itself. He was innovative, he was boundary-changing, and he danced to his own tune—which in any artist is really rare".[25] John also performed a cover of "Space Oddity" at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles two days after Bowie's death.[26] Paul McCartney, meanwhile, shared a picture of him and Bowie together on Instagram and commented that "David was a great star and I treasure the moments we had together. His music played a very strong part in British musical history and I'm proud to think of the huge influence he has had on people all around the world".[27] Yoko Ono also noted Bowie's friendship with herself and John Lennon, and thanked him for being a "father figure" to her son following Lennon's death.[28] Kate Bush, noted for rarely giving public statements, told The Guardian in an interview: "David Bowie had everything. He was intelligent, imaginative, brave, charismatic, cool, sexy and truly inspirational both visually and musically. He created such staggeringly brilliant work, yes, but so much of it and it was so good. There are great people who make great work but who else has left a mark like his? No one like him".[29] The Who honored Bowie during their 3 March 2016 concert at New York's Madison Square Garden with images of Bowie and noting "We'll miss our friend, a true icon of music and art, and a brilliant innovator."[30]
Homages from outside of pop culture
The German Foreign Office tweeted "Good-bye, David Bowie. You are now among #Heroes. Thank you for helping to bring down the #wall", referencing Bowie's time in Berlin in the 1970s as well as his 1987 concert near the Berlin wall.[31]
Vatican Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi tweeted some of the words to Bowie's song "Space Oddity" in memoriam after Bowie's death.[32]
British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Bowie, calling him "an immense British talent" and stating "musically, creatively, artistically, David Bowie was a genius".[33][34]
Given the astronomical theme of several of his works, tributes also came from numerous astronauts and astronomers, including Chris Hadfield and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and NASA tweeted "The stars look very different today", directly quoting "Space Oddity".[35]
Analysis of Blackstar
Bowie's final album, Blackstar—styled as ★ on the cover—was heavily analysed following his death, and numerous supposed clues about Bowie's fate were discussed. The album's second single "Lazarus" includes the lyrics "Look up here, I'm in heaven/I've got scars that can't be seen", which appeared in numerous news publications after his death.[36] The album's title was also believed to have symbolised death; it is the name given to a cancerous lesion, as well as the term for the transitional state between a collapsed star and a singularity. It is also the name of a little-known song about death by one of Bowie's musical idols, Elvis Presley, which features the lyrics "When a man sees his black star, he knows his time has come".[37] A tumblr account which seemingly included images replicated in the yet-to-be-released video for "Lazarus" was speculated to have been created by Bowie, and these images—Bowie retreating into a wooden cupboard, and writing with a skull on his desk—seemed to many to symbolise Bowie's imminent death.[37]
Other lyrics were also scrutinised; the track "Dollar Days", for example, featured the line, "Don't believe for just one second I'm forgetting you/I'm trying to/I'm dying to". The title and refrain of the album's final track, "I Can’t Give Everything Away", was believed by some commentators to refer to Bowie keeping his imminent fate private whilst hinting at it throughout the album, while its use of the harmonica solo from "A New Career In A New Town"—an instrumental track on Bowie’s 1977 album Low which refers to his move to Berlin—was considered a reference to Bowie beginning another new phase of his life.[37] The track "Girl Loves Me", another example, features the line, "Where the fuck did Monday go?", which some listeners believe eerily predicted the death of Bowie on Sunday, therefore missing Monday.[38]
Impact on music sales
Immediately following Bowie's death, sales of his albums and singles spiked. Blackstar, already on track to claim the number one spot in the United Kingdom, accelerated in sales and stayed atop the albums chart for three weeks, as well as topping the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.[39] Blackstar also topped the album charts in 24 different countries, including France, Germany and Italy, while it also made the top 5 in a further six different countries, including Japan and South Korea.
In the United States, Bowie's combined album and song sales rose to 682,000 following his death, which was a rise of more than 5,000%.[40] Another nine of his albums re-entered in the Billboard 200, including The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, Let's Dance, Aladdin Sane, Low, and The Next Day. On the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, Bowie broke the record for most entries by a single artist with 21 songs.[41]
Blackstar was replaced at number one in the UK by his 2002 compilation Best of Bowie, making Bowie the first artist to replace themselves atop the album chart since Michael Jackson did so following his death in 2009.[42] In the week following his death, Bowie had 19 albums and 13 singles in the top 100 charts for both categories, with his 1977 single ""Heroes"" reaching a new peak of number 12.[43] Bowie would later equal Elvis Presley's record for most albums in the top 40 at one time, with twelve.[44]
In France, David Bowie had three singles enter the top 10, including "Space Oddity" which peaked at number one and gave Bowie his first chart-topping single in the country. The Bowie compilation album Nothing Has Changed also gained new peaks worldwide in countries where it had never made the top 10, rising to number one in New Zealand (where it spent four weeks), number three in Australia, number four in Austria and Germany, number five in Switzerland, number six in Netherlands, number seven in Hungary, number eight in Italy and number nine in Italy. Global streams of Bowie's music on streaming service Spotify also spiked by 2,822% after his death, while the singer occupied all ten of the top ten music videos on the iTunes video chart.[45]
Tributes and services
Several artists performed songs by Bowie during concerts in the weeks following his death, including Elton John, Madonna and Red Hot Chili Peppers.[46] Numerous cities across the world also held events to remember Bowie.[47] A concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City called The Music of David Bowie had already been announced, and was turned into a memorial event after news of his death broke; tickets sold out in two hours.[48] A number of artists also performed and paid tribute at a memorial event in London's Union Chapel six days after his passing.[49] Lady Gaga was chosen to perform a tribute to Bowie at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, which featured a medley of his songs such as "Space Oddity", "Changes", "Ziggy Stardust", "Fame", and "Let's Dance".[50] The rock band Phish performed Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars album in it's entirety as their halloween costume at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the 31st of October 2016 [51] Bowie was presented the Brits Icon award in February 2016, a few weeks after his death. Singer Annie Lennox paid tribute to Bowie at the presentation, singer Lorde performed "Life on Mars?" with Bowie's old touring band, and actor Gary Oldman accepted the award on Bowie's behalf.[52]
David Bowie was included in the "In Memoriam" tribute at the 88th Academy Awards in a performance by Dave Grohl.[53]
References
- ↑ Editorial (11 January 2016). "David Bowie was the most influential British pop artist ever and personified our culture throughout his life". The Independent.
- ↑ "Thanks, Starman: Why David Bowie Was the Greatest Rock Star Ever". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Sandle, Paul; Faulconbridge, Guy (11 January 2016). "David Bowie dies after 18-month battle with cancer". Reuters. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ↑ Sandle, Paul (11 January 2016). "Pop chameleon David Bowie dead of cancer two days after final album". Reuters. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ Perry, Simon (27 January 2016). "David Bowie's Producer on How the Icon Kept Cancer Secret: He Took His 'Hat Off and He Was Completely Bald'". People. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "Mike Garson on the legacy of David Bowie". 14 January 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ Clark, Stuart (1 February 2016). "David Bowie: A Celebration". Retrieved 8 March 2016.
- ↑ "Tony Visconti: 'David Bowie's Cancer Was In Remission Last Year'". ContactMusic.com. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ↑ Adams, Char (11 January 2016). "Last Pictures of David Bowie: Icon Looked in Good Spirits at Final Public Appearance a Month Ago". People. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ↑ "David Bowie announces new album Blackstar for January release". BBC News. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ "David Bowie confirms 25th album will be released in January 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ "Watch ★ video teaser online now". Davidbowie.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ↑ Stark, George; Couch, Aaron (11 January 2016). "David Bowie Dead at 69 After 'Courageous 18-Month Battle with Cancer'". People. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ↑ Keveney, Bill (31 January 2016). "David Bowie requests ashes be scattered in Bali". USA Today. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ↑ "David Bowie wanted ashes scattered in Bali in released will". NewsComAu. 30 January 2016.
- ↑ Murray, Charles Shaar (25 October 1984). "Let's Talk, A Conversation with David Bowie". Rolling Stone magazine. No. 433. pp. 14, 18, 74.
- ↑ "David Bowie mural painted by Jimmy C used as memorial site". Mail Online. 13 January 2016.
- ↑ "Berliners are laying flowers outside David Bowie's Berlin flat". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music.
- ↑ "David Bowie Fans Line Around the Block to Pay Their Respects At His NYC Home". Inside Edition.
- ↑ "Milano, il flash mob musicale alle Colonne per ricordare David Bowie". Repubblica Tv - la Repubblica.it. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Recuerdan a David Bowie en el Carnaval de Río". Milenio. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- ↑ "Man, upset over Bowie's death, threatens to commit suicide ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion".
- ↑ "Tony Visconti - He always did what he wanted to do. And... - Facebook".
- ↑ Caroline Davies. "David Bowie dies of cancer at 69: 'He gave us magic for a lifetime'". the Guardian.
- ↑ "Elton John Celebrates the 'Mystique' of David Bowie in L.A.". Billboard.
- ↑ Jess Denham (15 January 2016). "David Bowie death: Elton John performs hauntingly beautiful 'Space Oddity' tribute for 'the Starman'". The Independent.
- ↑ Paul McCartney. "Instagram photo by Paul McCartney - Jan 11, 2016 at 1:49pm UTC".
- ↑ Charlotte Wareing (11 January 2016). "Paul McCartney remembers David Bowie as a "great star" who will "shine in the sky forever"". mirror.
- ↑ "David Bowie, as remembered by...". The Guardian.
- ↑ "David Bowie honored at The Who's Madison Square Garden concert". AOL. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ↑ "Good-bye, David Bowie.". German Foreign Office. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ↑ Williams, Thomas (12 January 2016). "Vatican Pays Extraordinary Tribute to David Bowie, in His Own Words". Breitbart.com. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- ↑ "British PM: Bowie 'immense British talent'". NBC News. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ↑ "David Cameron pays tribute to 'genius' David Bowie – video". The Guardian. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ↑ "Tribute to a Starman: David Bowie Mourned by Astronauts, Scientists".
- ↑ "David Bowie death dominates newspaper headlines - BBC News". BBC News.
- 1 2 3 Rogers, Jude (21 January 2016). "The final mysteries of David Bowie's Blackstar—Elvis, Crowley and 'the villa of Ormen'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ↑ theneedledrop (12 January 2016). "David Bowie - ★ (Blackstar) ALBUM REVIEW [R.I.P. BOWIE]" – via YouTube.
- ↑ Copsey, Rob. "David Bowie's Blackstar heading for a third week at Number 1". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ Kazin, Matthew (30 March 2016). "David Bowie: From Ziggy Stardust to Financial Trend-Setter - Fox Business".
- ↑ "David Bowie Scores First Top 40 Hot 100 Single Since 1987 With 'Lazarus'".
- ↑ "David Bowie Replaces Himself Atop UK Album Chart, Rihanna's 'ANTI' Debuts At #7". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com.
- ↑ Harriet Gibsone. "David Bowie albums and 13 singles enter the UK top 100". the Guardian.
- ↑ "David Bowie matches Elvis Presley's Official Albums Chart record".
- ↑ Elle Hunt. "Global streams of David Bowie's songs on Spotify soar 2,822% after his death". the Guardian.
- ↑ "Watch Red Hot Chili Peppers Endorse Bernie Sanders With A David Bowie Cover - Music Feeds". Music Feeds.
- ↑ BEN NORUM (15 January 2016). "The best David Bowie events in London this weekend: Tribute acts, Labyrinth screenings and more". Evening Standard.
- ↑ Alistair McGeorge (14 January 2016). "Line-up for David Bowie memorial concert in New York revealed". Daily Mirror.
- ↑ Holt, Gerry (17 January 2016). "David Bowie death: London's Union Chapel hosts tribute concert". BBC News. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ↑ "Nile Rodgers: Lady Gaga's Elaborate Bowie Tribute". The GRAMMYs. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ↑ "Phish Vegas 2016 - "Ziggy Stardust" Live **Entire Set** 2016 Musical Costume".
- ↑ Vulpo, Mike (24 February 2016). "Lorde Gets Emotional When Paying Tribute to the Late David Bowie at 2016 Brit Awards". E! Online. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- ↑ "David Bowie Part Of Dave Grohl Oscar 'In Memoriam' Tribute". CBS. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.