THE PASSING OF A ROCK LEGEND: DAVID BOWIE DEAD AT 69
Just days after his 69th birthday and the release of his latest album, Blackstar, David Bowie died Sunday after an “18-month battle with cancer,” according to a post on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The posts were confirmed by Bowie’s press rep.
The full post reads, “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.”
Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, also confirmed his father’s death on Twitter, writing, “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all.”
One of the most important figures in the history of rock, Bowie was born David Robert Jones on January 8th, 1947 in South London. He rose to prominence in 1969 with the British hit “Space Oddity,” having adopted the surname Bowie to avoid confusion with Monkees singer Davy Jones, and went on to have one of the most successful, influential and lengthy careers in rock history.
He earned the nickname the Chameleon of Rock for his ever-changing look and ability to switch musical styles. Bowie first gained notice as a singer/songwriter, but soon latched onto the burgeoning glam-rock scene with the invention of his androgynous alter-ego Ziggy Stardust and 1972’s landmark album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
By 1975, he re-invented himself as a blue-eyed soul singer scoring hit single “Fame” from the album Young Americans.
After the commercial success, he took another left turn by collaborating with producer Brian Eno on a trio of albums, including “Heroes,”recorded in Berlin. The title track from that album became one of Bowie’s most enduring songs, with the singer notably performing it atThe Concert for New York, a tribute to 9/11 first responders.
Bowie enjoyed another career resurgence in 1983 with the album Let’s Dance, co-produced with Chic’s Nile Rodgers. The album spawned three huge hits – the title track, “Modern Love” and “China Girl.”
He also enjoyed success as an actor, appearing in the lead role in a Broadway production of The Elephant Man in 1980 and ’81, and starring in a number of films, including 1976’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, 1983’s The Hunger and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.
In 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack while performing in Germany and had emergency angioplasty. As a result of his health scare, he dramatically curtailed live appearances and recording.
On January 8th, 2013, he surprised fans with the news The Next Day, his first studio album in a decade, would be released. His new album, Blackstar, also came as somewhat of a surprise. It features Bowie and a group of New York jazz musicians performing seven songs. The title track doubles as the theme for a new European crime drama series called The Last Panthers. Another song, "Lazarus," is the title track to Bowie's off-Broadway musical, which runs until January 20th.
Bowie is survived by his wife, model-turned-businesswoman Iman, their daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones and his son, Duncan Jones.
LINDSAY LOHAN: TOSSED FROM NYC BAR
Lindsay Lohan had to be physically removed from a New York City bar Friday night after she locked herself in a bathroom for 20 minutes.
A witness told Radar Online, "She walked in off the street and made a beeline for the bathroom. The bartender knocked on the door after she was there around 20 minutes.”
As the bartender pried her out of the bathroom, Lindsay became “aggressive and belligerent.” Also, “her eyes were glazed over.” She drunkenly slurred racist comments to the West African bartender.
One of the bar’s patrons revealed, “Lindsay spat in our friend’s face. The bar then erupted and everyone was yelling at her to leave.”
SEAN PENN: INTERVIEWED EL CHAPO
Sean Penn knew the whereabouts of El Chapo long before authorities. That's because the actor did a face-to-face interview with the fugitive last year for Rolling Stone. The article was released Saturday, one day after the drug kingpin was captured.
The star secretly met the fugitive in October deep in the Mexican jungle, surrounded by 100 of his soldiers. It's believed the interview led to El Chapo's arrest on Friday, though Penn says he did his best to keep the meeting secret, using burner phones and avoiding contact with federal agents.
A source in the Mexican government tells ABC News that the interview led to El Chapo’s capture but didn't explain how. The official also says Penn and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo, who accompanied him at the interview, are now under investigation.
In the interview, El Chapo tells Penn that he supplies “more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world” and calls Donald Trump "mi amigo."
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