LAZARUS Composer & Legendary Singer David Bowie Dies at 69

BWW reports the sad news that legendary singer, songwriter and actor David Bowie has passed away following a long battle with cancer. He was 69.

The news was shared on Bowie's official Facebook : 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.

Bowie is survived by his wife, supermodel Iman, their child Alexandria "Lexi" Zahra Jones, and his son Duncan, from his first marriage to Angela Bowie.

Bowie's latest album BLACKSTAR released last month on Iso/Columbia Records in various formats. The New York Theatre Workshop is currently presenting David Bowie's Lazarus by David Bowie and Enda Walsh (Once, Tony Award).The show is inspired by the novel The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis and directed by Ivo van Hove. Lazarus began previews on November 18 and officially opened on December 7, 2015 and runs through January 20, 2016.

Below, watch the final music video for 'Lazarus', off Bowie's album Blackstar:

Born David Robert Jones on January 8 1947, David Bowie was a figure in popular music for over four decades, and was known as an innovator. His first hit song, "Space Oddity", reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart after its release in July 1969. In 1972, Bowie created his flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, and released the hit single "Starman" and the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

In 1975, Bowie became a top singer on the other side of the Atlantic with the number-one single "Fame" and the hit album Young Americans. He followed that with the electronic album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno. Low (1977), "Heroes" (1977), and Lodger (1979) all reached the UK top five and received critical praise.

In 1983 Bowie once again hit the top of the charts with Let's Dance, which yielded several hit singles. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he continued to experiment with musical styles, including blue-eyed soul, industrial, and adult contemporary.

As an actor, Bowie starred in the role of an alien in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth and the goblin king Jareth in Labyrinth, In the 1980's he starred on Broadway in THE ELEPHANT MAN in which he played John Merrick.

Throughout his career, he has sold an estimated 140 million records worldwide. In the UK, he has been awarded nine Platinum album certifications, eleven Gold and eight Silver, and in the US, five Platinum and seven Gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Image: David Bowie/Facebook