When we heard the devastating news yesterday that David Bowie had passed away of cancer at the age of 69 it came as a shock to so many of us, particularly because Bowie had just released an album and video last week for his birthday. Plus we hadn’t even heard that he was sick. Many of you pointed out that there were clues to Bowie’s illness in the lyrics to his new single, Lazarus, and that he likely intended Blackstar to be his final album. That’s both incredibly sad and brilliant at the same time.
Bowie’s producer and friend of over 40 years, Tony Visconti, posted to Facebook that this was all planned out by Bowie ahead of time.
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.
Bowie’s biographer, Wendy Leigh, went one further and said that she thinks Bowie timed his death on a Monday “so that people in England, the England he loved, found out first.” She added that “David was close to the edge, but I truly believe he art-directed his life and his death.” Leigh also revealed that Bowie had had six heart attacks in recent years.
I got goosebumps watching the video to Bowie’s single, “Lazarus” (above). He’s sending a message with the lyrics and the video, in which he’s laying sick on a bed, his eyes covered, and seems to be fighting death, which lurks underneath. As he struggles to write a letter we see a skull sitting on the corner of his desk. It’s incredible and haunting. Bowie knew the end was coming and he’s sending a message to us through music, as he always has. Here are the lyrics to Lazarus.
Look up here, I’m in heaven
I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen
Everybody knows me now
Look up here, man, I’m in danger
I’ve got nothing left to lose
I’m so high it makes my brain whirl
Dropped my cell phone down below
Ain’t that just like me
By the time I got to New York
I was living like a king
Then I used up all my money
I was looking for your ass
This way or no way
You know, I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Now ain’t that just like me
Oh I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Oh I’ll be free
Ain’t that just like me
[Lyrics to Lazarus, thanks BeeBee for posting]
Incredible, right? He knows he’s a flawed person, like we all are, he’s looking back on his life, and he’s preparing for the end. He sees it as an ascension, as letting go.
There are so many stories about Bowie that attest to his character, his talent, his friendships and the love of his life, Iman. It’s hard to know where to start and this is in no way a comprehensive list.
Bowie was so many things to so many people. He was an actor, an entertainer, a poet and of course one of the most skilled and talented musicians in modern history. Just when I think I’ve remembered all of his songs which I loved and listened to throughout my life, I hear another one and am reminded of a time in my life when Bowie resonated with me. His music always resonates with me. RIP David Bowie, be free.
photo credit: WENN.com
The Lazarus and Blackheart videos are haunting. Definitely a man facing his mortality. I don’t know that I agree that he timed his death but I could say he timed the release of the videos/music knowing both would be his last word to fans.
He will be missed but we always have the music.
I can’t even tell you the last time I purchased a CD. I usually download my music, I pay for it but it comes from downloading. That way I don’t have to buy an entire CD just to hear two or three songs I might like. I said that to say I will be buying this CD out of respect for Bowie and what he did for music.
Our local station in Seattle, KEXP (kexp.org) streamed an entire day of his music in honor of his b’day/record release on Friday, and again on Monday. I was amazed at how varied his music was at different phases-all great-plus how many people he influenced.
This is very sad. Yet, in a sense it is a triumph. He lived well and on his own terms, and his death was on his own terms as well.
Now he truly is the Starman.
David was a brilliant man. His vision for his art was revolutionary. There’s no dispute over his genus. The thing that really hits me is his love of family and friends. He adored his wife and children. He was funny and so smart. This is a loss on so many levels. Sigh….. at least he was able to be productive and give a farewell to the world.
This loss is up there with Freddie Mercury to me. Devastating.
Even in death, he created art. I’m trying to take comfort in the fact that it was very ‘him’. I reckon seeing in his birthday and album release just before he went on his next adventure is a pretty good way to go out.
Having said that, I can barely get through the Lazarus video in one piece, it’s such a generous goodbye message.
I’d like to think that heaven is having a *huge* welcome party for him, with a ton of new music being made by him and Freddie.
Also, I don’t recommend looking at some of Iman’s Instagram posts from the last ten days if you don’t have any tissues to hand – retrospectively, it’s utterly heartbreaking.
@aims, the same for me. Freddie Mercury’s death was the first time I cried at the loss of someone famous. “A Night at the Opera” was the very first album I bought with my own money, and even though it was scratched, I refused to take it back to the record store to exchange it. I had those gorgeous voices and amazing music in my home, and I wasn’t going to be without again.
I’m old enough now that my eyes get leaky much more easily, but even so, I wasn’t prepared for how gutted I was to hear this news yesterday. David Bowie influenced so much during my life, and now he’s gone… I’m so grateful that he gave us this last release. Freddie was able to do that too (“Innuendo”), and so was Warren Zevon (“The Wind”). I adore those albums, even though I can’t make it through either of them without crying.
It says something about each of these men that in such a difficult personal transition, they created one last thing of beauty to share with the world. Tusen takk to each of them.
Now I’m crying. I made it through yesterday just listening to his music, but now I’m crying. His music and story meant so much to me, as it does so many others. It seems silly but it feels personal in a weird way.
I’m with you 1000%. Nearly called in to work yesterday. Just gutted. But he wasted no time on this planet and gave us many gifts that will be cherished forever. RIP.
Me too!!!!! Not just for Bowie, but the fact that he was forced to see the end, to know it was coming soon, how he aged so quickly, and how he expressed his final thoughts through his art. Didn’t think this article would make me cry but there you have it.
I also found out a few days ago that my dog is dying so it’s been a great week for me.
🙁
Me too. I’m sitting at an info desk with tears and a plugged up nose now. Have to find something else to distract!
I made no attempt to hide my emotions yesterday. I was holding it together until I heard “The Man Who Sold The World” on my iPod, and lost it. Completely lost it.
He was one of my creative heroes, and like so many said already…I can just imagine he, Freddie, Marc Bolan, and so many others having a fantastic party in the great beyond.
That EW article pulls at the heartstrings. They were such an awesome couple and you could tell they loved each other so much.
Well done, sir.
“His death was no different from his life– a work of Art.”
How deeply, hauntingly beautiful. Thank you, Goblin king.
*cries into cat*
May I borrow your cat for minute?
*hands cat to GNAT*
He likes chin scratches.
So yesterday, I heard about Bowie from everyone from my 19-year-old grandnephew (who does NOT usually care about musicians who are his grandparents’ age) to my 78-year-old mom. That really says it all to me about Bowie’s reach and appeal.
Leave it to the genius that was Bowie to turn dying into beautiful art.
And leave it to Angie not to be available to their son, who just lost his father, because being on a TV show, trading off whatever is left of the fame by association from a marriage that dissolved 40 years ago is more important than being a good mother. BTW, Angie, Keith Richards, not Mick Jagger, wrote “Angie”
Her son is estranged from her and has been for a very long time. The last person, at 44, he wants to turn to is Angie. He will be surrounded by his lovely wife and family and friends.
This hurts. I remember being introduced to Bowie (outside of Labyrinth) in my History of Rock class and it was fascinating to see how he influenced so many after him. How he was sticking up for the weird and those who had no voice in the world (that mtv interview is iconic). Honestly there’s not a lot to be said about a star that makes it cool to be different…he just WAS.
I’m a distant neighbor of him and in the music business so I heard about his heart attacks and cancer. I knew that this album was to be his last and there would be no more live performance from him. Still…I can’t stem the well of tears from rising.
I know this is stupid, but I’m also glad that people who knew about his health didn’t go about yakking and let him say his goodbye the way he wanted to. I can’t tell you how many times people do this, and not respect the wishes of the people and/or their families. Good night, Starman. Sleep tight.
I think that movie about Bowie Sony was talking about a few years back is going to happen now. I have a sense of apprehension about it. I am not sure they’ll be able to do it right.
I would be very surprised if they got the rights to his music, and really what would be the point of the film without his music in it. Bowie had already said no to the project as recently as November, I imagine his family would not want it now either.
Don’t forget the off Broadway musical he co-wrote that opened a month ago, and he was at opening night, Lazarus. He accomplished two great things before he died and got to see the both come to light. The musical got rave reviews and has been sold out. I hope the run is extended.
He said in an interview once that he wasn’t comfortable on stage even in his very early years trying to make it with his music,and that his early desire was to write musicals, not being in them. He had the one character created, Ziggy Stardust, and realized he wasn’t going to get any musicals funded back then, a nobody, and nobody was going to be singing his songs, so took on the Ziggy Stardust persona, and it enabled him to be more comfortable on stage, and why he kept creating personas for years, until he felt it was getting i the way of his writing music.
Fascinating man.
David Bowie was challenging our ideas and feelings about identity FORTY YEARS ago. And even then, he was way above half the lamebrained level of debate we have today. Always thinking about things earlier than everyone else. I posted this video from 1999 yesterday. It’s long but well worth watching through. Listen to how accurate he is about the internet (to Jeremy Paxman’s scoffing). In 1999!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiK7s_0tGsg
Music aside – and I won’t lie and pretend to be a bigger fan of the music than I actually am – I’ll miss him like I miss Terry Pratchett: as someone who had a handle on bigger pictures than my brain can adequately handle.
Great interview. I could listen to him talk all day.
He’s a very insightful man and so talented and forward-thinking in that interview. Yet, never once does he come off as pretentious about his “art/music” or ideas, like so musical artists now do in interviews. It was amazing that this man got clean when he was so abusive with drugs to the degree he was and was touching in that interview how adamant he was he would never risk going back there again by even taking a sip of alcohol, that his life and relationships would suffer, and he was happy.
I also liked that he married a very strong woman.
I watched this last night, then shared with a small group of friends on Facebook. Thank you.
For me personally, Bowie was always someone I was very much aware of, I liked his work, but I never really went out of my way to access it. He and my brother are January 8 babies (albeit 37 years apart), and we used to amuse each other with poorly done song impressions. Growling out “ground control to Major Tom,” was one of our favorites. Nirvana’s cover of The Man Who Sold the World is one of my favorite songs. It feels a bit like I’ve taken him for granted, somehow, that really delving into his work was something I often thought about, but never did (despite liking the majority of what I have experienced.) Like I should have been part of his tribe of misfits, by virtue of being a misfit, but there were too many other things to get into, and he’d always be there. Of course, he will always be here, but just not as we’d like.
After reading that he’d had six heart attacks, plus cancer, is all the more amazing what he accomplished at the end. I hope he is resting well.
This interview also illuminates him well beyond the glam rock star:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TajCh41y17I
Thanks. I really enjoyed that. His 2002 Heathen album he references, I listen to a lot.
Again, like I’ve said before, he is a fascinating and interesting man with a lot of depth.
He had a smoker’s laugh in that interview. I wonder if he smoked right up until his heart attack in 2004, and that’s when he gave it up. Most rockers who have gotten clean, off of all drugs and alcohol, still smoke for years. It’s their one last vice or crutch. Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode talked about that after getting clean and had eventually gone to cigarellos at one point. But his bladder cancer in 2009 I think finally got him off of his last vice for health reasons.
I cried so hard when I watched the “Lazarus” video. There is so much emotion in there, so much fear, and the courage to share his fear of dying with the world… And yet David Bowie is also offering solace to the people he must leave behind, ensuring them he will be free.
As if I had ever doubted he was one of the Greats.
I’m still in shock. Just last Friday my dad told me “have you seen Bowie’s new video? is he sick? he looks so ill” and I just shrugged.
I’m not a fan but what a lovely parting gift to those who lived his music as their own.
Since I’m from East Germany this hits close to home. I wasn’t standing behind that Wall to listen to him, but I grew up with his music. Reading the article about his concert at the Wall made me cry.
We often forget what people can overcome standing by each other and fighting in and for peace.
I was very sad yesterday hearing of his passing. Made me cry. RIP Bowie.
What a gift it is. Brilliant album.
Its been two day and I’m still in a lingering state of melancholy. And now that I read stories about his daughter, wanting to spend every precious moment with her that he missed with his son, my heart just shattered into smaller microscopic pieces.
For anyone who wants to relive Bowie or get into more of his music, his last tour, A Reality Tour in 2004, he was fantastic, on fire. Great varied setlist and his band was fantastic. You can get it on Amazon or probably even from iTunes. And if I may objectify him for a moment, he was in his 50s and still mighty fine.
Edit. It is out of stock on Amazon and has to be backordered. All the fans and lapsed fans have been buying up a lot of his discography since he died.
Here he is in the concert performing Heroes..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yISNT2wUmwA
Class act.
Farewell my Thin White Duke …
what an artist until the very end. he will live forever, because everything he did is out of this world. Bowie is forever. Hope he is singing with Freddie.
The gave me the dads yesterday. A different experience hearing the song on the radio on Friday than yesterday. This video brings tears.
My heart goes out to his children and Iman.
This was one cool dude.
RIP !
The end of the Lazurus was just beautiful, closing the door. Didnt he mime very early on in his career? The movement seemed an homage to his beginnings.
So sad still. Is it silly to be so upset by the death of someone I never met? sigh 🙁 Listening to Blackstar is too raw for me, the video to Lazarus freaked me out a bit. Haha but I’ve always found death hard to deal with. Good on him for dealing with it so courageously.
I’m feeling like my youth died with him. R.I.P,
Ziggy Stardust, your travel in the infinite space just started.