Though he came into this world as David Robert Jones, he left as David Bowie. Take a look at some of the moments in Bowie’s life and legendary impact on music.
Today, January 8, would have been David Bowie’s 79th birthday and when he passed away in 2016, he left behind an artistic legacy that may never be seen again. After developing a love for rock and roll – thanks to artists like Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard – David began pursuing a career in music in the early 1960s, adopting the stage name David Bowie, as not to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.
After his self-titled debut album failed to make an impact, Bowie found breakthrough success with Space Oddity, the haunting tale of Major Tom and ground control. The song launched a career defined by constant reinvention, as Bowie moved fluidly through psychedelia, glam rock, soul, electronic music, and experimental art rock. Along the way, he became a cultural icon — celebrated for his bold fashion, boundary-pushing personas, and fearless exploration of identity and gender expression.
In his personal life, Bowie became a father in 1971, welcoming son Duncan Jones with his first wife, Angie Bowie. In 1992, he married supermodel Iman, and the couple later welcomed a daughter, Lexi Jones, in 2000. Their marriage lasted until Bowie’s death in 2016.
Take a look at some of the moments in Bowie’s life, one that lasted nearly seven decades but, still feels like it ended too soon.
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David Bowie in 1967
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David Bow in 1967. At this point, he was two years away from his breakthrough hit, Space Oddity. His first album failed to move the needle. Even after Space Oddity went No. 1 in the U.K., his follow-up, The Prettiest Star, flopped. Some drastic changes were needed.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 2 of 22
David Bowie in the 60s
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David Bowie, sometime in the 1960s. The hair and attitude reflected his approach to music at the time, which was more based in folk. He would later find success with psychedelia and glam.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 3 of 22
David Bowie in 1977
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David Bowie makes a rare television appearance as co-host in the last of this series of MARC, in which Marc Bolan of T-Rex was the resident host. Both Bowie and Marc were known for popularizing glam rock, in a way that maintained rock’s hard edge along with its genderbending, glamor attitude.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 4 of 22
David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust
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David Bowie performed as Ziggy Stardust at Earl’s Court in London, Brittain, in 1973. After veering towards glam in 1971 with Hunky Dory, Bowie and his band released the landmark album, The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. This also introduced David’s first of many personas.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 5 of 22
David Bowie in 1979
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While David is best known as a musician, he was a talented actor on stage and screen. His performance in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man received high praise. Here, he and Sydne Rome pose together as part of a Just A Gigolo press conference.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 6 of 22
David Bowie in 1990
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David Bowie, outside the Rainbow Theatre, in 1990. David’s commercial highpoint was in the 1970s and 1980s. At the start of the ’90s, David was entering his late 40s and early 50s, and he shifted his perspective as an elder statesman of rock.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 7 of 22
David Bowie in 1983
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David’s most successful period was in 1983, following the release of his album, Let’s Dance. The title track was his second No.1 on the U.S. charts, and he gained a whole new following in this whole new decade. However, the commercial success was stifling, and David later said he limited himself creatively while trying to appease the audience instead of himself.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 8 of 22
David Bowie in 1985
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David Bowie, sporting a mustache, appears in a promo photo for the 1985 film, Into The Night. David’s filmography is known for his parts in The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Hunger, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, and Labyrinth. He also famously portrayed Andy Warhol in Basquiat, and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 9 of 22
David Bowie in ‘Labyrinth’
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For many GenXers and elder millennials, David Bowie’s film legacy IS Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. David, seen here holding Jennifer Connelly in the ballroom dream sequence, left quite an impression on many with the 1986 classic.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 10 of 22
David Bowie in 1976’s ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’
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A cult classic and arguably, an underrated sci-fi gem, The Man Who Fell to Earth depicts David as an alien who crash lands on Earth. For many, Bowie was always alien, exotic, and mysterious in his ways.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 11 of 22
David Bowie in ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’
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David Bowie was also a style icon. While he’s wearing a costume for The Man Who Fell to Earth here, this is not beyond what he would normally wear in his life. It’s why he plays an authority figure in the fashion-comedy, Zoolander.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 12 of 22
David Bowie & Iman in 1990
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Iman and David Bowie at the 7th Sale AIDS Benefit Charity Fundraiser in 1990. Iman and Bowie married in 1992. They welcomed their only child, daughter Lexi, in 2000.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 13 of 22
Bowie, Jagger & Iman in 1992
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Iman, David Bowie & Mick Jagger share a laugh at the Freejack premiere in Los Angeles in 1992. David and Mick would famously team together for a cover of Dancing in the Streets.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 14 of 22
Bowie in ‘Twin Peaks’
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David Bowie and David Lynch – a match made in heaven. David appeared in Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me in 1992, one of his latter-era film roles.
January 6, 2022, 1:58PM 15 of 22
David Bowie in 1995
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David Bowie donned a salt and pepper sweater in 1995. He was sipping on tea.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 16 of 22
David Bowie Plays London in 1995
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David Bowie in concert in London’s Wembley Arena in 1995. He was in the moment.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 17 of 22
David Bowie in 1996
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David Bowie plays The Brit Awards in 1996. He had a prim starched collar like a priest during the performance.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 18 of 22
David Bowie Gets a Star on the Walk of Fame
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David Bowie got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997. He had spiky red locks at the time.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 19 of 22
David Bowie in 1999
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David Bowie smiles during a 1999 press conference. He had on little plum-tinted Lennon glasses and shaggy locks.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 20 of 22
David Bowie at Glastonbury 2000
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David Bowie takes the stage at the 2000 Glastonbury Rock Festival in Pilton, Somerset, England. Harkening back to his hippie days, he wore a wild patterned coat with wavy locks.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 21 of 22
David Bowie Plays in 2002
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David Bowie gets the crowd going during his Meltdown concert at London’s Royal Festival Hall on June 29, 2002. He looked sharp in a three-piece suit worn without a tie.
June 27, 2022, 11:53AM 22 of 22
David Bowie Smiles
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Doing what he loves the most. David Bowie beams while playing guitar.
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