It has taken us all day to write anything on David Bowie
that wasn’t just a social media post.
The news of his death hit like a punch to both the gut and
directly in the heart. While we are all mortal and all eventually will pass on,
some people you think are larger than life and can cheat death – Bowie was one
of them.
As everyone from Iggy Pop to U2 to Kendrick
Lamar paid homage to The Thin White Duke, everyone was left speechless. From
his most famous fans to his civilian ones, his death just days after turning 69
and releasing his latest album, Black Star, as his Swan Song became much more
poignant.
Throughout his illustrious career, he was the misfit and artist he wanted to be. Not the one the label wanted. Not the one the people wanted. He was the one he wanted.
MESSAGE FROM IGGY:
"David’s friendship was the light of my life. I never met such a brilliant person. He was the best there is.
- Iggy Pop"
— Iggy Pop (@IggyPop) January 11, 2016
What a honor, what a soul. David Bowie, Spirit of Gold. RIP.
— Kendrick Lamar (@kendricklamar) January 11, 2016
David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) January 11, 2016
Bowie existed so all of us misfits learned that an oddity was a precious thing. he changed the world forever.
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) January 11, 2016
As John & I had very few friends, we felt David was as close as family. Sweet memories will stay with us forever. pic.twitter.com/WoZsztnm4E
— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) January 11, 2016
Planet Earth is blue - Bono
Posted by U2 on Monday, January 11, 2016
After 18 months with cancer, Bowie, who proved that you
could be anonymous and private in a day and age where we share nearly
everything online, kept his illness quiet. The only people that needed to know
did and for that, we now suffer with his void.
As fans lined up all around London, Berlin and New York, the
cities that were his home over the years, they laid flowers, lit candles, wrote
personal notes and shared memories. Fans came together to discuss his life and
legacy. Some met the man, others did not, but the common factor was that he
touched them all.
Throughout his illustrious career, he was the misfit and artist he wanted to be. Not the one the label wanted. Not the one the people wanted. He was the one he wanted.
His shape-shifting persona kept him going and kept fans
wanting more over the years. It is the
music that will live on but it is her personas that go on in infamy. Every
musician that has matter today owes a debt to him. Every artist and fashion
designer owes a debt to him. Being David Robert Jones wasn’t enough for the
man, being David Bowie was.
From his blue collar roots in England, he became an icon. He
became an inventor, an innovator, a mad scientist looking for what was new and
exciting. That is why his five-decade long career was so important even right
to the very end.
Black Star, his new record, was his goodbye letter to all of
us, according to his producer Tony Visconti. He knew his time was running out
and knew that he had to create – even until the very end.
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...
Posted by Tony Visconti on Monday, January 11, 2016
His legacy will live on and he will be remembered in places
you might not think. If you walk on the Highline in New York City, thank him.
He curated the first (and only) High Line Festival in 2007 where proceeds went
to help fundraiser the now popular park. If you go to Berlin, many thank him for
bringing down the wall. The swinging 60s of London was a scene he was heavily
involved in.
Good-bye, David Bowie. You are now among #Heroes. Thank you for helping to bring down the #wall.
https://t.co/soaOUWiyVl #RIPDavidBowie
— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) January 11, 2016
A real Renaissance Man – musician, actor, activist,
designer, creator. Thank you, David Bowie.
If you listen to important music today, thank him. If you see something left of center, thank him. Yet, if you happen to be yourself today, thank him. The space oddity that he was became a symbol for us all.
"Just Like That Blue Bird, Now I'll Be Free." -- "Lazarus"
If you listen to important music today, thank him. If you see something left of center, thank him. Yet, if you happen to be yourself today, thank him. The space oddity that he was became a symbol for us all.
"Just Like That Blue Bird, Now I'll Be Free." -- "Lazarus"
