Whether you know him as Ziggy Stardust, the Goblin King, or the Thin White Duke, there's no doubt that the death of David Bowie on Jan. 10, after losing an 18-month battle with cancer, is already one of the most sad and significant events of 2016. The loss is felt by multiple generations, spanning from those who grew up in the 70's and 80's to Millennials, and it isn't hard to understand why. I know that my words could never do him justice, but I am willing to try.

David Bowie was so celestial in his physical appearance and in his songs that he was almost like a god among men. His influence on pop culture, from fashion and music to sexuality, are very much alive and well. He worked with various other artists such as Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, Bing Crosby, and P Diddy. Heck, we wouldn't have even had the glorious, albeit slightly embarrassing, wonder of the 90's that was "Ice, Ice, Baby" by Vanilla Ice if it weren't for the bass line from "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. He gave the outcasts a beacon of hope by challenging social norms way before it was ever cool.

LGBT people found solace and strength in the eccentric "Fame" singer. He was always vocal about the issues he cared most about, including, but most definitely not limited to, the time he called out MTV in 1983 for not featuring a lot of black artists on their channel's video lineup.

Of course, one medium never could have hoped to be enough to contain the awesomeness that is David Bowie. He has also been in several movies, some of which include "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976), "Labyrinth" (1986), "Spongebob's Atlantis SquarePantis" (2007), and a cameo as the walk-off judge in "Zoolander" (2001). Even if you were, by some very odd chance, unaware of who David Bowie was prior to his death, the odds of you having seen or heard him without realizing it are very good. The chances that you have seen or heard anything influenced by him are without a doubt 100 percent.

Personally, I was introduced to David Bowie's music when I was in middle school, as were probably most Bowie fans my age. I had seen "Pretty Woman," of course, and heard "Fame" without knowing who was singing it. The first song I remember hearing by him was "Let's Dance." I remember thinking it was so weird yet so wonderful. Funnily enough, the song "Space Oddity" has become sort of an affectionate inside joke at my house because of the times Joey and Chandler sang snippets of it on "Friends," and me singing it to my cat because I love puns and therefore, love occasionally calling my cat "Major Tom."

 

It was especially chilling when I had heard rumors of his death from a friend on Facebook only hours after seeing a commercial advertising the release of his new album, "Black Star" , his final album and parting gift to the world. I was so set on the news being a hoax that I checked multiple sources before accepting it.

Well, wherever you are now, rest in power and in peace, Ziggy Stardust.