It is with great sadness that we report David Bowie, who had just celebrated his 69th birthday, has died after an 18-month-long battle with cancer.
The unfortunate news was confirmed early this morning via the iconic star's Facebook page. "David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer," it states. "While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief."
On the day of his birthday on Friday (Jan. 8), Bowie released his final album Blackstar, which now seems to have been one last gift to fans. Bowie had claimed influences from Kendrick Lamar to LCD Soundsystem on the jazz-inspired album, which has already achieved worldwide success.
He had just recently released a music video for its lead single "Lazarus," most likely his last recorded work, which depicted him emotionally struggling in a hospital bed. It now seems possible that Bowie was providing some insight into what was going on with him at the time.
Director Duncan Jones, who is also Bowie's son, has additionally confirmed Bowie’s death on his Twitter page, captioning a photo of himself as a boy with the late singer, captioned with “very sorry and sad to say it’s true.”
Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 11, 2016
While Bowie had openly stated that he had no plans to tour or make many public appearances, this news comes as a shock to many fans and music industry professionals alike. Many artists, including Madonna, have already started to take to Twitter and other outlets to pay tribute to the legendary and influential musician.
