Legendary rock star, David Bowie, died of cancer on Sunday, just two days after he clocked 69.
The tragic news was posted on the singer’s Facebook page on Sunday evening.
It reads “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.”
Bowie’s son, film director, Duncan Jones, also confirmed the news in a Twitter post on Monday morning writing, “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all”.
Born David Robert Jones in England on January 8, 1947, Bowie landed his first hit song when he was 22-year-old with Space Oddity, a single that landed in the top five of the U.K. Singles Chart at the time of its release.
All throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bowie became well-known for endlessly pushing boundaries during the glam-rock era, and even more famous for his androgynous alter egos such as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.
Bowie’s acting career took off with his performance in Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, followed by roles in films such as Labyrinth, The Last Temptation of Christ and Absolute Beginners.
More recently, he appeared as himself in the film, Zoolander and the Ricky Gervais sitcom Extras.
Over the years, Bowie amassed two Grammy Awards, despite being nominated almost a dozen times and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
The Labyrinth star released his latest album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday.
Bowie is survived by his wife, model, Iman, whom he married in 1992; his son, director Duncan Jones; and daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones.
