He died after an 18 month battle with cancer just days after his 69th birthday. It is deeply shocking for fans of the Thin White Duke, especially here in Ireland, where Dublin had just been witness to the David Bowie festival at the weekend.
Reads the official statement: “David Bowie 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 news has been confirmed on Twitter by his son Duncan. His wife, Iman, had messaged on Saturday: “Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
The singer's latest album, Blackstar, had just been released and was a tremendous example of his creative prowess, had what is now a tremendously poignant undercurrent of darkness throughout. The video for its second single, ‘Lazarus’, shot when Bowie must have been seriously ill, now feels even more poignant.
The tributes have been pouring in with Kanye West noting that, “David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.”
A sad Marc Almond messaged: "It's not often I truly cry at the loss of an artist but I'm devastated. He meant so much. Goodbye David Bowie and our youth. We loved you. X"
The word from Russell Crowe is: "RIP David. I loved your music. I loved you. One of the greatest performance artists to have ever lived. #sorrow"
Director Guillermo del Toro tweets: "Bowie existed so all of us misfits learned that an oddity was a precious thing. He changed the world forever."
Here's an archive interview from 1999 when Stuart Clark met David in The Clarence Hotel, and a more recent chat with his friend and musical lieutenant, Gerry Leonard, who played as part of this weekend's Bowie tribute festival in the Grand Social.
The former took place in 1999 in The Clarence Hotel just before the still Thin White Duke played a stormer across the river in what was the then Hot Press Hall of Fame.
We also re-visit his legendary Ziggy Stardust album; rave review his 2003 stop-off in The Point, and get the thoughts of superfan Joe Elliott.
 

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