David Bowie
A shape-shifting artist who fused rock, theater, and avant-garde style to create unforgettable characters and soundtrack multiple generations.
1947–2016 (age 69)·English musician and actor·Birthday: January 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Bowie emerged from post-war London with an insatiable curiosity and a voice that could convey alien cool or fragile humanity. He spent the late 1960s as a mime, a folk singer, and a one-hit wonder, but it was his 1972 invention of the androgynous alien rock star Ziggy Stardust that shattered conventions. Bowie didn't just write songs; he built worlds, each album a new persona—the soul-thin White Duke, the Berlin-era minimalist. His genius lay in synthesis, absorbing everything from German electronic music to Japanese fashion and repurposing it for the pop mainstream. Beyond music, he was a compelling actor and a prescient investor in internet services. Bowie's final act, the secretly recorded album 'Blackstar' released just before his death, was a profound meditation on mortality, proving his artistic nerve never faltered.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2016Died at 69
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Pioneered the concept of the alter ego in rock music with the fully realized character and narrative of Ziggy Stardust.
- Released the influential 'Berlin Trilogy' of albums ('Low', 'Heroes', 'Lodger') with Brian Eno, reshaping the sound of art-rock.
- Achieved his first US number-one single with 'Fame', a funk-rock collaboration with John Lennon.
- Starred in iconic film roles, including the alien Thomas Jerome Newton in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'.
Did You Know?
His eyes were not two different colors; the appearance was due to a permanently dilated pupil from a teenage fight.
He turned down a knighthood from the British government in 2003.
He co-wrote the song 'All the Young Dudes' for the band Mott the Hoople, which became their signature hit.
He had a large collection of over 400 works of modern British art.
“I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.”
