‘Fitting tribute’ for Bowie at Brit Awards

Bowie died Sunday at the age of 69 following a yearlong battle with liver cancer. “We knew each other for over 40 years, in a friendship that was always tinged by echoes of Pete and Dud”.

Bowie was a three-time BRITs victor, being named Best British Male twice, 30 years apart – in 1984 and 2014- and being awarded the Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 1996.

“Before we begin, I’d like to say, ‘Rest in peace, David Bowie, ‘” Fallon, host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, told his audience.

Bowie died two days after his 69th birthday following an 18-month battle against liver cancer.

The singer will also be remembered at a concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall on March 31. “And because nobody else was ever doing my songs, I felt – you know, I had to go out and do them”.

Singer David Bowie performs in Hartford, Conn.in 1995.

“I think in those brief moments, he heralded me into my next new life, an old rock and roll alien angel in a flawless grey suit”, said Lorde via Facebook.

His son, director Duncan Jones, posted a short message to Twitter confirming the news.

“I’m so very sad”, she added. I’ll be offline for a while.

Van Hove said Bowie was desperate to finish “Blackstar” and “Lazarus” before it was too late.

His producer Tony Visconti says Bowie seemed to know he was dying and released the album as a “parting gift”.

Highlighting how secret Bowie kept his illness, long-time collaborator and friend Brian Eno said his death came as “a complete surprise”. “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief”. Over the last few years – with him living in NY and me in London – our connection was by email. “I realise now he was saying goodbye”.