Musician and actor. Born David Robert Jones 40 Stansfield Road, Brixton. The family left here when David was 6 and moved to Plaistow Grove, Bromley.
David changed his surname to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees. Bowie's early work included the 1967 single The Laughing Gnome (which he'd probably rather forget). He had a major hit in 1969 with Space Oddity, when he was living in Foxgrove Road Beckenham, and went on to greater success with the albums Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and Diamond Dogs. As an actor his films include: The Elephant Man on Broadway and on film in The Man Who Fell to Earth and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.
Bowie lived in Beckenham for 5 years and in 1969 ran the Beckenham Arts Lab from the Three Tuns pub. For the last word on Bowie in London see Londonist.
The Daily Mail reported that Bowie lived in New York from 1993 but after being diagnosed with cancer he returned to London in summer 2014 with his wife and then 13 year-old daughter to visit his former homes at his birth-place in Brixton and in Bromley and Beckenham.
He had more style and charisma than your average earthman and we are very sad that he had to go.
