The legendary David Bowie—rock royalty, master of personas like The Thin White Duke, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust—has died just two days after his 69th birthday.
His publicist confirmed the news, and a message on the singer’s Facebook page revealed that Bowie had been fighting cancer.
“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” it reads. “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
His final album, the excellent ?, was just released last Friday. (Read our review here) The video for “Lazarus,” which features Bowie writhing on a hospital bed, now feels like an eerie revelation from the artist.
We’ll have more about this incredibly sad news throughout the day, but in the meantime, revisit the video for “Life on Mars?” below and pay tribute to this truly irreplaceable musician. You can also hear a full Bowie concert with Nine Inch Nails in the Paste Cloud.