MAGAZINE: 11 things you might not know about David Bowie

Die-hard fans and passing fancies alike are remembering the life and career of David Bowie today.
David Bowie. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA WireDavid Bowie. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
David Bowie. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

The music icon and legend died surrounded by his family yesterday, following an 18-month battle with cancer.

So as friends, family and fans across the world raise a glass and remember the man himself, we’ve taken a look at some facts about him that you might not know.

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So share your favourite Bowie memories, songs and snippets with us as we take a deeper look into the life of “Brixton boy” Bowie.

1. David Bowie’s seventh studio album, Pin Ups, released in 1973, features Twiggy on the cover.

2. The hit song Space Oddity was included in the BBC’s coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

3. Bowie has made many film appearances in the course of his career. His most memorable role, perhaps, was as Jareth The Goblin King in Labyrinth. He also played Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ, directed by Martin Scorsese.

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4. David Bowie married supermodel Iman in 1992, and the pair have a daughter. He was previously married to Angie Bowie, and they had one son, Zowie.

5. The musician was born as David Robert Jones, and took on Bowie as his stage name.

6. Nirvana memorably covered Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World in 1994 for MTV Unplugged. Their version created a new legion of fans for the original song.

7. David Bowie’s 25th studio album, Blackstar, was released on January 8 to coincide with his 69th birthday.

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8. After years of releasing records and performing live, David Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

9. Bowie has had five UK number ones across his career, according to The Official Charts Company. These were Space Oddity (1975), Ashes to Ashes, Let’s Dance, Dancing in the Street, with Mick Jagger, and Under Pressure, with Queen.

10. Bowie and the members of Queen took a case to court after the track’s bassline was used in Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice without little modification. It was later settled out-of-court

11. A king and star to many, David Bowie refused a CBE in 2000 and a Knighthood in 2003.