Evizda

The world on Monday mourned the death of David Bowie, the iconic rock star, record producer, artist, and performer whose influence spanned generations and whose ideas constantly pushed boundaries of creativity, sexuality, and custom.

Bowie’s death was confirmed by a post on his Facebook page, which said that the artist died peacefully in New York City on Sunday “surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer.” He had just celebrated his 69th birthday on January 8.

Bowie, born David Robert Jones in Brixton, south London, was lauded as a performer who was always ahead of his time.

Known best for pioneering the glam rock genre and for hit songs including “Fame,” “Let’s Dance,” “Starman,” and “Life on Mars,” Bowie’s career lasted nearly four decades. In fact, his death came just two days after the release of his most recent album, Blackstar.

Throughout his career, Bowie sold an estimated 140 million albums. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 39th on their list of the 100 Great Rock Artists of All Time. He also had a notable acting career, with memorable roles in films such as 1976’s “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” and “Labyrinth” in 1986.

In addition to his artistic prowess, Bowie was known as a champion of the underdog. He famously rejected knighthood in 2003 and declined the royal honor of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000, saying: “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for. It’s not what I spent my life working for.”

In 1972, Bowie introduced his flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, which brought notions of gender fluidity and bisexuality into mainstream popular culture.

“He was a megastar, but his power came from the fact he was the champion of the outcast in the bedroom,” wrote British artist Grayson Perry on Monday. “The loner, the misfit. Although I couldn’t afford to buy records then, I absorbed him through TV and radio. The performance of Starman on Top of the Pops, with Bowie rubbing up against Mick Ronson dressed in a spangly catsuit—that was really bringing gender subversion into the mainstream.”