David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was known for his shifting personae and his wide range of musical genres. Born David Robert Jones in London, UK in 1974, Bowie was inspired by jazz music and learned saxophone at age 13. His first musical success came from Space Oddity (1963). However, Bowie is probably most recognized for this early 1970s glam rock era and his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust. By 1975, Bowie’s style had shifted once again to his “plastic soul� era. At this time, his music had a huge crossover into the USA. In the 1980s, Bowie found success with 3 back-to-back hits (“Ashes to Ashes�, his album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and “Under Pressure� in collaboration with Queen).
Bowie found success with a variety of film projects including The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986), The Last Temptation of Jesus Christ (1988), and The Prestige (2006). In his later years, Bowie began to work on theatrical projects. In 2015, he announced that he would be writing songs for the upcoming Spongebob Squarepants: the Broadway Musical. In December of 2015, Bowie’s own musical Lazarus, a semi-sequel to the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, premiered.
David Bowie died due to liver cancer two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar, on January 10, 2016. During his lifetime, he was one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with 10 platinum, 11 gold, and 8 silver album certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and ranks as the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century.
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