David Bowie dead at 69: Iggy Pop, Pixies lead tributes

The profoundly influential songwriter David Bowie has died after a reported 18 month battle with cancer. 

His social network channels verified the news in the small hours of Monday morning, with a message reading: "January 10 2016. David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”

---

RELATED

 Hero Worship: Ian Smith on David Bowie

---

His son, film director Duncan Jones, posted a picture taken with his father in his youth and the short message, "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."

Also taking to Twitter, Boston alt.rock pioneers Pixies dusted down a photograph from 1997 of Bowie gathered backstage at Madison Square Garden on his 50th birthday with the likes of The Cure's Robert Smith, Dave Grohl, Sonic Youth and a caption which simply read: "RIP David Bowie. A true Inspiration."

Iggy Pop acknowledged his comrade's passing shortly after: "David’s friendship was the light of my life. I never met such a brilliant person. He was the best there is." 

Although largely withdrawn from the music scene since retiring from live performance in the past decade, the virtuoso released his twenty-fifth and final album, Blackstar this past Friday on his 69th birthday. Although Bowie's condition was known to few, the lyrics and narrative for his last video, Lazarus, poignantly foretold his death. He leaves behind a towering legacy.

---