Fans Mourn Music Legend David Bowie at Walk of Fame Star

Mourners brought candles, cards and other items overnight to the pop icon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Fans gathered overnight at David Bowie's Walk of Fame star to mourn the music legend, who died Sunday after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Flowers, candles, notes, travel size bottles of Jameson whiskey and a large wreath were left at the star to honor the musician who broke pop and rock boundaries and appeal to a broad range of fans who celebrated his creativity. Bowie was 69 and had just released a new album decades after coming of age in the 1970s glam rock era.

"His career spanned so many decades, it's hard to pick one song or one album that's the best," said Marcos Martinez as he gazed at Bowie's star during a chilly Monday morning in Hollywood.

But if he had to choose, Martinez said his favorite song would have to be 1969's "Space Oddity," about the launch of a fictional astronaut.

"It's been referenced in a lot of different things," he said. "That song for me is the one."

Star visitor Sammi Acampora recalled her first memory of Bowie -- a goblin king in the 1980s fantasy film "Labyrinth." She held a candle early Monday as she leaned against a palm tree near Bowie's star.

"That was how I found out about him when I was 10 years old," said Acampora. "I was like, 'This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life.' I instantly fell in love with him.

"He's appealed to everyone at some point. Everyone can understand loving David Bowie."

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The Hollywood Historic Trust placed a wreath at the star late Monday morning.

Bowie, whose hits included "Fame," "Heroes" and "Let's Dance," died "peacefully" and was surrounded by family, representative Steve Martin said early Monday. The singer had fought cancer for 18 months. Bowie turned 69 on Friday, the same day as he released a new album called "Blackstar."

News of his illness came as a surprise to fans at the star.

"I had no idea," said Lauren Armstrong. "Like may of us, I didn't know he was sick, at all."

Bowie kept a low profile in recent years after reportedly suffering a heart attack in the 2000s. He made a moody album three years ago called "The Next Day" -- his first recording in a decade which was made in secret in New York City. "Blackstar," which earned positive reviews from critics, represented yet another stylistic shift, as he gathered jazz players to join him.

He released a music video on Friday for the new song "Lazarus," which shows a frail Bowie lying in bed and singing the track's lyrics. The song begins with the line: "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

The album became a parting gift to his fans.

"He went another direction, compared to the rest of the music at the time," said Sven Harold Roine. "He changed the music."

Tributes poured in for the singer from around the world after the announcement of his death. British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted about his sadness from outer space aboard the International Space Station, saying "his music was an inspiration to many."

British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted that Bowie's death is "a huge loss." He wrote he had grown up listening to and watching Bowie and called the singer a "master of reinvention" and a pop genius who kept on getting it right.

The Rolling Stones wrote they were "shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend David Bowie. As well as being a wonderful and kind man, he was an extraordinary artist, and a true original."
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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