David Bowie has died at the age of 69

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David Bowie, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship, nonconformity, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, has died.

"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer," read the official announcement on Facebook. "While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."

Bowie's son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, confirmed the news via his personal Twitter account.
"Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all," Jones tweeted.

The iconic singer's death comes just days after the release of his 29th album, Blackstar, which coincided with his 69th birthday on January 8.

He was due to be honoured at Carnegie Hall in March this year.

CHANGING THE FACE OF POP

Long before alter egos and wild outfits became commonplace in pop, Bowie turned the music world upside down with the release of the 1972 album, The Rise of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars, which introduced one of music's most famous personas.

Ziggy Stardust was a concept album that imagined a rock star from outer space trying to make his way in the music world. The persona - the red-headed, eyeliner wearing Stardust - would become an enduring part of his legacy, and a touchstone for the way entertainers packaged themselves for years to come.

The singer, who was born David Jones in London, came of age in the glam rock era of the early 1970s. He had a striking androgynous look in his early days and was known for changing his appearance and sounds.

After Ziggy Stardust, the stuttering rock sound of "Changes" gave way to the disco soul of "Fame," co-written with John Lennon, to a droning collaboration with Brian Eno in Berlin that produced "Heroes'.'

He had some of his biggest successes in the early 1980s with the bombastic "Let's Dance," and a massive American tour.

Another one of his definitive songs was "Under Pressure", which he recorded with Queen; Vanilla Ice would years later infamously use the song's hook for his smash hit "Ice Ice Baby."

"My entire career, I've only really worked with the same subject matter," Bowie told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "The trousers may change, but the actual words and subjects I've always chosen to write with are things to do with isolation, abandonment, fear and anxiety - all of the high points of one's life."

'A TRUE HERO'

Bowie lived in West Berlin in the late 1970s and Mayor Michael Mueller said Monday that "Heroes" became "the hymn of our then-divided city and its longing for freedom."

Germany's Foreign Ministry added Bowie was "now among heroes" and thanked him for "helping to bring down the wall."

Bowie's performance of "Heroes" was also a highlight at a concert for rescue workers after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.

"What I'm most proud of is that I can't help but notice that I've affected the vocabulary of pop music. For me, frankly, as an artist, that's the most satisfying thing for the ego," Bowie said.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, but he didn't attend the ceremony.

Madonna, another artist who knew something about changing styles to stay ahead of the curve, accepted for him and recounted how a Bowie concert changed her life when she attended it as a teenager.

David Byrne, of the art rockers Talking Heads, inducted Bowie and said he gave rock music a necessary shot in the arm.

"Like all rock `n' roll, it was visionary, it was tasteless, it was glamorous, it was perverse, it was fun, it was crass, it was sexy and it was confusing," Byrne said.

OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT

Bowie kept a low profile in recent years after reportedly suffering a heart attack in the 2000s. He made a moody album three years ago called The Next Day - his first recording in a decade which was made in secret in New York City. Blackstar, which earned positive reviews from critics, represented yet another stylistic shift, as he gathered jazz players to join him.

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Larry Kratka on KOOL Radio (1490 Springfield Mass 990 Hartford CT 1180 Southern Rhode Island and 106.5 HD3 New London) played one Bowie song every half hour after the news during his show this morning.

Chaz and AJ the morning duo on WPLR (New Haven CT), 95.9 The FOX (Norwalk CT), and 102.9 The Whale (Hartford CT) took calls from listeners during the 530AM half hour to get them to guess the songs on a Top 10 Best Bowie Songs list. They didn't say where they got the list from.