Death comes three days after launch of 25th album
London
British music legend David Bowie has died at the age of 69 after a secret battle with cancer, unleashing a cascade of tributes for one of the most influential and innovative artists of his time.
A notoriously private person, Bowie's death in New York was a shock to the world with the announcement coming just three days after he released his 25th studio album "Blackstar", on his 69th birthday on Friday.
"David Bowie died peacefully (Sunday) surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer," said a statement posted Monday on his official social media accounts.
The death brings the curtain down on an extraordinary musical innovator and style icon, with a career dating back to his first major hit "Space Oddity" in 1969, about an astronaut called Major Tom who became lost in orbit.
Tributes poured in from the world of music, show business and politics for the singer-songwriter, producer and actor described as a visionary and master of re-invention.
The Rolling Stones hailed Bowie as an "extraordinary artist", collaborator Iggy Pop called his friendship "the light of my life" while Madonna described him as "Unique. Genius. Game Changer."
Bowie spanned styles ranging from glam rock, New Romantic and dance music to alternative rock, soul and hard rock, underpinned by an astonishing array of stage personas from the sexually ambiguous Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke.
"He will be remembered amongst the greats but not just one of them, as a unique great," said Bowie biographer Paul Trynka, describing him as "a creative force" who redefined pop music over decades.
Fans left flowers and messages by a colourful mural of him in Brixton, the south London district where he was born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, and where preparations were under way for a street party in his honour.
Although Bowie left school with just one qualification, an O-level in art, he went on to sell an estimated 140 million records worldwide.
