The man who fell to earth left our planet today and we are a worse place for his early departure.
A man who explored so many Changes, whether as a Space Oddity, questioning life on Mars, re-branding as Ziggy Stardust or having fun with his China Girl, David Bowie was always a musical genius.
David Bowie was just 69. His 25th album was released to wide acclaim last week on his birthday. He must have known he had just a short time left. It was a well kept secret.
As a teenager in Nigeria the party song was Life on Mars. I saw him live at Wembley Arena shortly after the release of Lets Dance. Maybe 1986 or 1987. We were in the second row. He was spell-binding.
His music helped to define my generation. But he will be remembered for generations.
There are many tributes – here is one from Reuters:
David Bowie, musical legend behind Ziggy Stardust, dies at 69 from cancer
And thirty essential Bowie songs from Rolling Stone magazine: