Overview
- Bowie died on Jan. 10, 2016, at age 69 in his New York apartment, two days after releasing Blackstar, from liver cancer.
- Released on Jan. 8, 2016, the seven-track album is widely interpreted as a deliberate requiem completed privately during his illness.
- The song and video Lazarus feature lyrics and imagery broadly read as prophetic of his impending death, developed alongside the stage work of the same name.
- Collaborators say he worked intensively in his final months to finish the record and two videos, leaning on a jazz-rooted band led by Donny McCaslin and Mark Guiliana.
- This week’s commemorations include Channel 4’s documentary Bowie: The Final Act, a Spain premiere on Movistar+ today, and an official Instagram tribute quoting director Johan Renck.