The New York State Senate

J3313

LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of David Bowie, English sing-
er, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor for
more than five decades

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay just
tribute to the memory of those prominent individuals whose creative
talents have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of
the citizens of the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Music legend David Bowie died on Sunday, January 10, 2016, in
Manhattan, at the age of 69; and
WHEREAS, Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, he was raised in
Brixton, London; at the young age of 13, he became interested in music
and started to play the saxophone; and
WHEREAS, In July of 1969, David Bowie released "Space Oddity" which
became his first top five entry on the United Kingdom Singles Chart;
after a three-year period of experimentation, he resurfaced in the early
1970s, during the glam rock era, with his flamboyant and androgynous
alter ego Ziggy Stardust; and
WHEREAS, Ziggy Stardust was spearheaded by his single "Starman" and
album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars";
the short-lived Ziggy persona proved to be one facet of a career marked
by reinvention, musical innovation and visual presentation; and
WHEREAS, In 1975, David Bowie achieved his first major American cross-
over success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album "Young
Americans"; he moved to Los Angeles, California, and became a fixture of
American pop culture; and
WHEREAS, In 1976, he released "Station to Station" which he recorded
with the Young Americans band, which subsequently was his highest chart-
ing album and contained his second Top 10 single, "Golden Years"; and
WHEREAS, He returned to the U.K. for the first time in three years
before settling in Berlin, where he enjoyed painting, studying art and
recording with Brian Eno; the great duo's work consisted of "Low",
"Heroes" and "Lodger", and was distinguished by its appropriation of
avant-garde electronic music and the "cut-up" technique; and
WHEREAS, David Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to
Ashes", its parent album "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)", and "Under
Pressure", a 1981 collaboration with Queen; and
WHEREAS, In 1983, this musical icon reached a new commercial peak with
"Let's Dance", which yielded several successful singles; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, David Bowie continued to
experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his popular music career, David Bowie had a
successful but sporadic film career; his acting roles include the epony-
mous character in "The Man Who Fell to Earth", Major Celliers in "Merry
Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", the Goblin King Jareth in "Labyrinth", Pontius
Pilate in "The Last Temptation of Christ", and Nikola Tesla in "The
Prestige", among other film and television appearances and cameos; and
WHEREAS, David Bowie stopped touring after his 2003-2004 Reality Tour,
and last performed live at a charity event in 2006; on January 8, 2016,
the date of his 69th birthday, his final studio album "Blackstar" was
released; he died two days later; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his storied career he sold an estimated 140
million records worldwide; in the United Kingdom, he was awarded nine
Platinum album certifications, 11 Gold and eight Silver and in the
United States, five Platinum and seven Gold certifications; he was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996; and

WHEREAS, David Bowie is survived by his wife, Iman, who he married in
1992, one son, Duncan Jones, and a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones; he
is also survived by his first wife, Angie Bowie; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
the lives of those extraordinary artists of world reknown who enriched
the lives of others through their artistic endeavors; such an artist was
David Bowie, whose extraordinary and innovative career will forever live
in the hearts of many and continue to inspire generations to come; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of David Bowie, English singer, songwriter, multi-in-
strumentalist, record producer, and actor for more than five decades;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of David Bowie.