Profile of the Day: David Bowie

David Bowie

Today we remember legendary musician David Bowie on the second anniversary of his death. Bowie passed just two days after his 69th birthday after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Bowie was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, South London, England. He changed his last name to “Bowie” out of fear of being confused with The Monkey’s lead singer, Davy Jones.

In 1969, Bowie scored his first hit song, “Space Oddity,” which was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Released just before the Apollo 11 moon landing, the song instantly connected with listeners and quickly climbed the charts. The 1970s saw him transform into his glam rock alter ego Ziggy Stardust and earn a unique spot in pop culture history. An innovator and pioneer, Bowie seemed to reinvent himself with each new generation.

During his lifetime, he sold over 140 million albums worldwide, making him one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

What’s your favorite David Bowie song?

Explore his family tree on Geni and share your connection to the music icon.
 

View David Bowie’s Geni Profile

Image: Photobral Adam Bielawski / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)