Among real space explorers, few songs have resonated as powerfully as David Bowie’s iconic “Space Oddity”, the soulful ballad of a solitary fictional astronaut, Major Tom.
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But little did he know just around the corner from his parent’s house in Brackley Road, Beckenham was Bowie’s Southend home.
News of his death from cancer at age 69 shocked and saddened fans, coming just days after he’d released what will now be his final album, “Blackstar”.
Liz Robson is a Bowie fan who lives in Lambton and said she wanted to do something to celebrate his life.
“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer”.
Bowie, whose real name was David Jones, is survived by his wife of 23 years, Iman, their daughter, Alexandria, 15, and his son from a previous marriage, Duncan, 44.
“I’ve got scars that can’t be seen”.
Bowie retired the Ziggy Stardust character by playing “Rock “N” Roll Suicide” in London in 1973, announcing it to be his last show ever (he only meant it as a member of the Spiders From Mars, though despairing fans at first didn’t realize it).
Outspoken musician Anthony Wong Yiu-ming, who has been heavily influenced by Bowie’s music and performances, called the artist’s recent release Lazarus “the most attractive exit”.
On a side note, watching this reminds me of an interview that Bowie did a bunch of years ago. That he has worked on doing an album in that time, this album Blackstar which just come out, which I just think, what a wonderful way to spend what would have been a very personal and hard time, being creative.
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Now that we look back on the song and its telling line, “look up here, I’m in heaven”, it’s an even more poignant effort. “It’s really sad”, she said. “For me, frankly, as an artiste, that’s the most satisfying thing for the ego”. He later referred to himself as David Bowie in order to not be confused with Davey Jones of “The Monkees”. “His death was no different from his life – a work of Art”, wrote Bowie’s producer Tony Visconti in a tribute. “Can you imagine how dark it would would have been without him?”
