R.I.P David Bowie: 8th January 1947 - 10th January 2016

Apparently, it was liver cancer.

 

All day yesterday I was sad and couldn't listen to music. This morning I listened to Blackstar on the way into work and I felt grateful that we got another great album and Bowie got to sign off on one more artistic triumph.

 

"When the sun has set, no candle can replace it."

Rest in Peace David.

 

Another icon bites the dust, RIP brother.

 

My wife told me she read somewhere it had been shot about 10 months ago.

 

On CBC, the English language State television here, last night, it was pretty much Bowie night, including in the news bulletin, where everyone from the team was asked to pick their favorite Bowie song and explain why (with several clip bits shown)... Incredible! Then The National news bulletin, with Peter Mansbridge hosting, from around 9 to 10 PM, featured a special discussion panel on DB's legacy:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational

 

Brief broadcast this am on Philadelphia's WHYY morning radio program. They play a little bit of session tape from Bowie recording the Young Americans album recently discovered in the sound archive of Drexel University.http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/...-photos?_ga=1.227588893.1613063010.1452601796

 

This photo was taken just over 1 month ago: December 8, 2015 at the premiere of the Lazarus theatrical play:

 

According to Visconti, the album was finished in June. Surely it must gave been after then.

 

The video director posted a tribute and said they shot both videos in July. He knew he was ill but did not know to the degree nor asked.

 

Another photo from the Lazarus premiere (Dec. 8, 2015)

 

It is now being reported that Bowie not only battled cancer, but suffered 6 heart attacks in recent years.

 

He really doesn't look quite so bad here. Assuming it's really liver cancer that got him, I wouldn't be surprised his condition deteriorated very rapidly within the last weeks or month.

 

According to Visconti, the album was finished in June. Surely it must gave been after then.

I remember thinking he looked a little 'orange' that evening. There's another shot when he's just got out of the car where he seems to glow in a very suspect way. I thought the bottle was a little suspect too (it didn't look like water...). Easy to say now of course. However, I thought on the whole he looked trim and well that evening, far less puffy than before. Interesting what make-up, a good haircut and some nice clothes can do....

 

Source?

 

Wendy Leigh, his biographer, to BBC news. She reported this yesterday.

 

He looks typical for a 69 year old. We are all prone now, after his death, to look deeper into photos to glean their "true" meaning. I'm sure we could find recent photos where Bowie looks great, and others where he seems to be looking weak. It was just a photo, and sometimes the lighting and angle of the photo can create a "false" appearance.

 

John Anthony, producer who worked with Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis, Queen....

"RIP David. This is how I remember you in 1969 when I was the A&R man at Mercury Records. In early June you sat in my stupidly overlarge office and played me Space Oddity in full on acoustic guitar. You hummed the bass lines explained the sound effects and played the Stylophone too. When I received the final mix I was knocked out. A week later at Calvin Lee's behest we put 1,000 promotion singles in brown envelopes to be sent to the then Music Biz 'Glitterati'. All because our boss and his American bosses didn't "get" what you were all about. It helped! Though it was not until very much later that Space Oddity was a hit...... 6 years in fact! You were in my life always a warm, considerate acquaintance. None more so when I brought my little sister Susie, who was then 13, to Trident Studios on her Birthday to meet you in the early 70's. You were charming, chatty and laughed loudest when she accidentally knocked your acoustic guitar off it's stand.
My world, the music world and the world itself became a little less colourful when I heard about your death at 7am yesterday. Later as I walked my sisters dog along the grey wet and dank Mendip Hills and looked across the Levels a glorious "William Blake" shaft of sunlight came from above.
Thanks for brightening my day....... thanks for brightening my life....."

 

Ill try and get tickets for this. Tribute concert 31st March NYC.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35289998

 

The director of the Lazarus video, has stated the Lazarus video was filmed "weeks before his death."

 

Martin L. Gore (of Depeche Mode)

David Bowie - Where does one start? Is it too obvious to state that he was the most influential artist for people of our generation and younger? Ziggy Stardust was the first album I owned and his ability to innovate meant that I was waiting patiently for the release of Blackstar just a few days ago.

I have heard Bowie blasting from Mr. Gahan’s dressing room way too many times to begin to count. Heroes was the first song that we ever played as the original Depeche Mode. We were all much more than casual fans.

He is the only artist who compelled us to rush to a record store on day one of a release back in the days of vinyl and beyond. His music is what grabbed us but he was so much more than just a musician.

To follow Bowie, to be one of his fans, was to be led on a magical, winding journey. He constantly pushed boundaries and introduced us to styles and genres we were unaware of or didn’t exist before he invented them.

He was a star - the star of stars. For us, he was the greatest legend. A legend who never rested on his laurels but continued to experiment up until his death.

We, along with the rest of the world, mourn the loss of our greatest talent. This will be a hard one to recover from.

 

I already posted my little tribute post on this thread at page #6 (post number 147), but been reading along this thread all the time.
So, I think that I felt I had to post something else aswell..

It's been really sad times, as the new album came on friday I played it on repeat during the whole weekend (already on friday I must have played it 4-5 times atleast as I really, I mean I really liked it),
saw the videos and paid attention to lyrics, but it totally came to new light as the news spread on monday morning.

On monday morning I had just started doing my usual work-stuff over at the office and I didn't had any time to check the news or this forum, then couple minutes later I notice that my phone rings.
It's my wife and our talk went something along these lines:
Mrs. SammyJoe: "Have you read the news, is it true that David Bowie has died? Or is it another hoax again? I just read about it but not sure if it false.."
I just stare with empty eyes to my computer and have little black out moment.
Then I proceed to this forum and see the dedicated topic on the matter.
SammyJoe: "Well, let me check. It can't be for real. Oh my god, it's true unfornately true."
Mrs. SammyJoe: "That can't be for real, as we just listened to his new album on friday".

This is truly tragic loss, feels like someone (dear friend) who was there always for me but now has left me alone here.

I spent monday and today listening to mostly David's stuff and kept remembering all those years that I relate to in his work when I think of my past.
I had to let some of my feelings run loose as I came to home yesterday, some might think it's not wise to mention, but I cried a bit and could not prevent tears from falling.
It's not fair at all, as David had such remarkable 2 comeback albums (The Next Day and Blackstar) and I was really looking forward to more stuff being released later.
Little did I know of how thing would finally come out with a bang like this now..
I think it was wise decision from David not to tell about the sickness in public, as now nobody knew except to those who were really close to him.
The last year must have been really hard for him as he had 6 heart attacks besides the cancer. I wonder how things went with the cancer but it might also be that we will never know the details on the matter.
It's so heartbreaking to read the comments from those who were involved.

As for the Lazarus premiere, wasn't there somewhere (might have been this forum or some other can't recall) talk at that time how some noticed that David looked a little strange on those pics.
I don't think he looked that bad, maybe he had lost some weight but he looked good typical for a man of his age there. It was nice that he greeted the fans who were there to meet him.
Also, I liked Michael C Hall's performance of Lazarus on Colbert 18.12. show.

What an amazing new album and then he left us here all alone without him.
Love You David and thanks for the wonderful music!

 

regarding the pictures from the Lazarus premiere he looked ok for a 69 year old man (despite the skin tone which is indicative of liver problems) but he did not look like a 69 year old David Bowie. Especially compared to how he looked in 2014 for Nothing has Changed.

 

David's death is so said, he was too young and still vital. My favorite song of his is "All The Young Dudes". He will be missed.

 

Listening to Lazarus over the last couple of days there was a nagging sense the melody was similar to another David Bowie song.
Now I'm listening to Heathen and the song is Slip Away. And my eyes are welling up again.