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LGBT Icon David Bowie Dies at 69

BY BTL STAFF

British musician David Bowie died of cancer at 69 on Jan. 10. The artist reportedly had been quietly fighting cancer, believed to be of the liver according to early reports, for the last 18 months.
Bowie, born David Jones, rose to prominence in the 1960s with hit songs like "Space Oddity." The artist famously came out as gay in 1972, later defining himself as bisexual in 1983. Bowie's first wife, Angie, claimed he had an affair with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.
Though Bowie would later regret announcing his bisexuality as the "biggest mistake he ever made," a 2002 Blender article quoted him as elaborating: "I don't think it was a mistake in Europe, but it was a lot tougher in America. I had no problem with people knowing I was bisexual. But I had no inclination to hold any banners nor be a representative of any group of people. I knew what I wanted to be, which was a songwriter and a performer, and I felt that bisexuality became my headline over here for so long. America is a very puritanical place, and I think it stood in the way of so much I wanted to do."
Despite this desire to remain first and foremost a songwriter and performer, Bowie's often-androgynous style made him an early public figure for the LGBT community. Following the public revelation of his death on Monday, LGBT people around the world publicly expressed grief as they revealed how inspired and moved they'd been by Bowie's work and his life.
Bowie is survived by his wife, supermodel Iman, and two children. His latest album, "Blackstar," was released last week.

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