A few weeks ago, I woke up to devastating news: one of my all-time favorite musicians returned to his home planet. He tested the limits of what was possible in rock music, from his glam-rock Just Dance album to his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. For years, it seemed like there was nothing he couldn’t do, he was a musical chameleon who never stopped being weird and was always comfortable in his own skin. So, I thought it would only be fair if I paid tribute to the man they called Bowie before I go back to listening to “Starman” on loop for hours.
The thing that made David Bowie’s death tragic, most of all, was that very few people saw it coming. He kept his 18-month fight with cancer a secret from most and was even working on his 27th studio album, which was to be released on the day of his 69th birthday. His music video for “Lazarus” reached 11 million views within 24 hours of being uploaded to YouTube, beating the last record held by Adele’s “Hello.” I was expecting a David Bowie tour, but what we got instead was a funeral and lots of tears from my whole family.
One great way to honor Bowie’s legacy that I saw was on the magical hit-or-miss wonderland known as BuzzFeed. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve criticized BuzzFeed before, but in the case of this article, called “19 People Share Touching Stories About How David Bowie’s Music Influenced Their Lives,” which features personal accounts from Buzzfeed community members, it actually really works. Here are some of my favorites:
I felt like I lost a dear friend that I haven’t spoken to in years, but who has been in the back of my mind all the time.” -
“Everything seemed bleak and every moment was filled with stress and tension. I loathed myself and the way my life was going. And at that time Bowie and Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’ inspired me and soothed my soul.”
“He was terrifying and fascinating all at the same time. My heart is broken and I miss him already.”
“I grew to wholeheartedly love and appreciate what he was doing, the creativity and boldness involved in all of it. He didn’t censor himself for anyone, he didn’t care what little people with closed minds thought.”
Bowie was more than just a singer. He was an alien mimicking the musical styles of the human, an otherworldly force of awesomeness that could make you dance, cry, laugh, sing, and play along all at the same time. He’s not even gone, his time on our planet just expired and he’s waiting in the sky to find another. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see someone like David Bowie again, but at least he left us an awesome legacy to blow our minds. RIP David Bowie, we love you.
