The stars look very different today 

The world was shocked when musician David Bowie died on this day in 2016. The singer had kept his illness from liver cancer a secret from the public and had released his 25th and final album Blackstar just two days earlier on his 69th birthday.

His swansong album was critically acclaimed and became one of the highest selling records of the year, topping charts around the world.

From when he had his breakthrough hit with Space Oddity in 1969 Bowie’s creativity captivated audiences as he continually reinvented himself and explored a wide variety of sounds.

Throughout his life Bowie made several statements about his sexuality. In 1972 while promoting his Ziggy Stardust album he declared he was homosexual. In a 196 interview with Playboy he described himself as bisexual.

The singer was married to first wife Angie Bowie from 1970 until 1980. He married model Iman in 1992, the couple remained together until his death.

Throughout his career Bowie created a series sexually ambiguous and androgynous characters and he was an inspiration for generations of artists who followed.

Also on this day

In 1956, about 30 people attended the first public meeting of the Mattachine Society, at the Diplomat Hotel in New York City. The organisation was one of the first LGBT rights organisations in the USA.

This post was first published on 10 January 2020. 

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