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Yahoo Music Staff

David Bowie: His Life in Photos

Yahoo Music Staff

January 11, 2016 at 6:49 PM

Back in 1965, a fresh-faced, 18-year-old Bowie was known as Davy Jones, but he changed his stage name (which was inspired by frontiersman Jim Bowie) so as not to be confused with a certain member of the Monkees.

David Bowie rocks a long shag at the Cafe Royal, London circa 1970, during his ‘Man Who Sold the World’ era.

A long-haired Bowie, directly predating his Ziggy Stardust persona, jams at a party thrown by publicist and future nightclub impresario/ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer in January 1971, in Los Angeles.

Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones (who was born in 1971 and whose mother was Bowie’s first wife, Angela) tweeted this family photo on the day of his father’s death with the caption: “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all.”

‘Ziggy’-era, flame-haired Bowie poses beside his Rolls Royce in May 1973.

David Bowie performs during his ‘Ziggy Stardust’ era in 1973 in Los Angeles, wearing one of his famous onesies.

David Bowie poses for a portrait in his ‘Ziggy Stardust’ guise in June 1972; the absolute epitome of glam-rock.

English model Twiggy poses with David Bowie in Paris, 1973. The image was originally shot for Vogue magazine, but Bowie decided to use it as the cover for his album ‘Pin Ups’ instead.?

David Bowie performs “Rebel Rebel” on the TV show TopPop on Feb. 7, 1974 in Hilversum, Netherlands.

At the 17th annual Grammy Awards on March 1, 1975, Bowie arrived as the Thin White Duke, an icy-cool persona primarily associated with his album ‘Station to Station,’ which was released the following year.

The Thin White Duke poses for an RCA publicity shot in 1976.

Bowie performs at the Oakland Coliseum in California on April 5, 1978, at the tail end of his “Berlin trilogy” era.

Also an accomplished actor, in 1980 Bowie appeared in a stage production of ‘The Elephant Man’ at the Booth Theater in New York City, where this candid shot was taken.

Bowie performs on stage for the Serious Moonlight tour in Rotterdam, Netherlands, June 25, 1983. He shows off a quintessential new wave ‘80s look, with suspenders, high-waisted trousers, and coiffed hair.

Bowie poses with Paul McCartney backstage at Wembley Stadium in London for Live Aid, 1985. The intercontinental televised famine relief concert drew an audience of an estimated 1.9 billion viewers.

Bowie’s acting career allowed him to show off his ability to carry a variety of looks; including this classic conservative one on the set of the movie 'Absolute Beginners’ in May, 1985.

Bowie also, of course, could rock fantasy-style getups way past his Ziggy Stardust days. Here, he stars as Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 film ‘Labyrinth.’

In 1987, Bowie embarked on his Glass Spider tour, with Peter Frampton playing guitar in the live lineup. Here, the two rock legends are pictured at a March 18, 1987 news conference in New York where Bowie announced his North American tour.

Bowie predicts the soon-to-approach pared-down style of the ‘90s as he performs at Wembley Stadium, London on June 20, 1987, on his Glass Spider tour to promote his album ‘Never Let Me Down.’

In 1988, Bowie formed the supergroup Tin Machine with Reeves Gabrels, Tony Sales, and Hunt Sales; the band released two albums, ‘Tin Machine’?and ‘Tin Machine II.’ Here, Bowie is pictured performing with the group at the concert to promote the latter album at the Brixton Academy in London on Nov. 11, 1991.

This classic look is how many younger fans will remember Bowie. Here, he performs on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on May 10, 1993, to promote his 18th studio album, ‘Black Tie White Noise.’

David Bowie performs at the Meadows Music Theater in Hartford, Connecticut on Sept. 14, 1995, the year he released ‘Outside.’

David Bowie performs during a concert celebrating his 50th birthday, at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 9, 1997.

Bowie rocks a long bob at the WB Radio Music Awards in Las Vegas on Oct. 28, 1999.

Bowie kicks off the 9/11 benefit “Concert for New York” at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, 2001.

Bowie performs during the Reality Tour – which would turn out to be his last-ever tour – at Madison Square Garden in New York City, 2003.

Bowie performs at the 2004 Nokia Isle of Wight Festival.

Bowie married his supermodel wife, Iman, in 1992 and remained with her until his death. The couple poses here at Hammerstein Ballroom during Keep A Child Alive’s 6th Annual Black Ball on October 15, 2009 in New York City.

The normally reclusive Bowie attends the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards at Lincoln Center in New York City, looking fashionable as ever.

Rock legend David Bowie shockingly died Sunday, only two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 25th album ‘Blackstar,’ following a secret 18-month battle with cancer. Over the course of his unparalleled five-decade career, Bowie was a man of mystery and of many faces: the Laughing Gnome, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, the Man Who Fell to Earth. Perhaps no other artist in the history of rock ‘n’ roll underwent so many fascinating transformations as did David Bowie. Here, Yahoo Music looks at some of his greatest, most iconic looks.