For the first time in most of our lives, we woke up in a world without David Bowie.
After 18 months of fighting it, cancer killed Bowie yesterday. According to his Twitter, Bowie died "peacefully" in the presence of his family. He had turned 69 two days prior, on January 8.
On his birthday, Bowie released ★ (pronounced Blackstar), which received almost instantaneous acclaim: The album reached number one in the UK on Amazon and iTunes and number two on the same in the US.
On his Facebook page, his family asked fans for privacy.
"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief," the post announcing his death read.
To many, Bowie was Ziggy Stardust. For teens in the eighties and nineties, Bowie was a pop legend. For others, he was a musical legend. For many, he was all three – and more: Major Tom. Gareth the Goblin King. The Thin White Duke.
Bowie won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. As an artist, it seemed Bowie could get away with anything. He wore dresses, spandex, white body paint – David Bowie was more than David Bowie; he presented a rich cadre of characters through which fans could rotate simply by playing a different album.
Lazarus, from ★, takes on new meaning for fans today. We leave you with the final verse:
This article appears in Jan 7-13, 2016.