Rock legend David Bowie dies aged 69 after long battle with cancer

Legendary rock artist David Bowie has died at 69, after an 18-month battle with cancer, his publicist confirmed to SkyNews. The news was also posted on the musician's official website.

The artist “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.”

The artist’s career spanned more than 40 years, and was marked by numerous style transitions from rock to electronic music. All the while Bowie managed to maintain a solid, cross-generational fan base.

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Stardom came in 1972, with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The album strayed into unknown territory – a mix of British mod, synth-pop, and elements that fashioned rock music into something theatrical. That is when Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust was born. Some of his most notable tracks known the world over include 1973’s ‘Space Oddity’, 1983’s ‘Let’s Dance’ and 1977’s ‘Heroes.’

He went through many more gear during his career and collaborated with numerous heavyweights such as Queen, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and others.

Bowie survived to witness Friday’s release of his latest album ‘Blackstar’, which critics lauded as another proof of the artist’s gift to stay relevant and come up with fresh ways to present his work to the world.