David Bowie.

Played 14 different instruments. The first was the saxophone at age 12, and he played it on several songs. He considered himself a weak lead guitarist but a talented rhythm guitarist.

Met his wife Iman in October 1990 through a mutual hairstylist. He proposed under the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris while serenading her with April in Paris.

Appeared in Bing Crosby’s last television special, where they sang a duet of The Little Drummer Boy.

Bob Geldof wanted Bowie to sing the first line of Do They Know It’s Christmas? but he was unavailable. He did sing the opening at the Live Aid finale in 1985.

He often called himself a collector and meticulously archived everything he created, storing it in Switzerland.

Went through a heroin addiction that caused blackouts in the mid-1970s, documented in the song Ashes to Ashes.

Performed with Queen, Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Al B. Sure!, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Nine Inch Nails, and Bing Crosby.

On June 25, 2004, he had an emergency angioplasty in Germany while on tour, and the remainder of the tour was canceled.

His mother Margaret Mary Jones was from Kent of Irish ancestry; his father Haywood Stenton Jones was from Yorkshire of Welsh descent. Bowie lived in New York City from 1992 until his death.

His daughter with Iman, Alexandria Zahra Jones, was born on August 15, 2000.

Won the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1984, Outstanding Contribution in 1996, and again in 2014 as the oldest winner. In 2017, he became the first posthumous winner.

In 1968, he wrote English lyrics for Comme d’Habitude, which later became My Way for Frank Sinatra.

Despite reports in the late 1990s and early 2000s estimating his net worth at over $900 million, his estate was valued at $100 million after his death.

At age two to four, his nursery school teachers noted his extraordinary grace and poise during music and dance activities.

Cited Little Richard as his first musical influence, hearing him at age eight. A 2015 Mojo compilation listed 15 early influences, including Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Jacques Brel.

Voted the 39th Greatest Artist in Rock n Roll by Rolling Stone.

Denis Villeneuve’s first choice for the role of Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 was Bowie, but he passed away before production.

Was a big fan of The Velvet Underground, later recording with Lou Reed and collaborating with Iggy Pop. He included China Girl on Let’s Dance to help Pop financially.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 by Madonna.

Turned down a lucrative offer to record a James Bond theme. He also turned down roles as Max Zorin in A View to a Kill, the Joker in Batman, and Captain Hook in Hook.

Awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. on February 12, 1997.

Played himself as a judge of the walk-off in Zoolander 2001.

Known for his sense of style, described by director Geoff Wonfor as one of only three people in music who looked good in a suit.

Considered Tonight 1984 and Never Let Me Down 1987 his weakest albums, leading him to form Tin Machine.

Naturally left-handed, he taught himself to play guitar right-handed because of a shortage of left-handed guitars in post-war Britain.

His 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was ranked eighth in Classic Rock Magazine’s 2003 list of the 30 greatest concept albums.

Loosely the basis for the film Velvet Goldmine 1998.

Was a major influence on Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks of Genesis. Banks bought his 1966 single Can’t Help Thinking About Me.

Asked Stevie Ray Vaughan to play guitar on Let’s Dance after seeing Double Trouble at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Main inspiration for Tilda Swinton’s character in A Bigger Splash 2015. She appeared with him in the video for The Stars Are Out Tonight.

Awarded Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Catherine Trautmann in 1999.

Was good friends with Queen, especially Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, since the late 1960s when they met on the college band circuit.

His paternal grandfather was killed at the end of World War I.

Sang a duet with Kasper Eistrup on the album No Balance Palace by Danish rock band Kashmir in 2005.

Played Nikola Tesla in The Prestige 2006.

His first four albums failed to chart in the UK on initial release; he first entered the album chart with Ziggy Stardust in 1972.

In a 1999 interview, he predicted the Internet would have a profound impact on society and art.

Mentioned in the lyrics of the Only Fools and Horses theme tune.