David Bowie Facts

In the early eighties David Bowie publicly shamed MTV for its lack of diversity. "It occurred to me that, having watched MTV over the last few months, that it's a solid enterprise and it's got a lot going for it," he had said. "I'm just floored by the fact that there are... so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?"

In the first of many re-inventions, he named himself David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones, lead singer with Beatles rivals The Monkees, and studied Buddhism and mime. Mr Bowie died on Sunday "surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer," said a statement posted on his social media accounts

In the early eighties David Bowie publicly shamed MTV for its lack of diversity. "It occurred to me that, having watched MTV over the last few months, that it's a solid enterprise and it's got a lot going for it," he had said. "I'm just floored by the fact that there are... so few black artists featured on it. Why is that?"

In the first of many re-inventions, he named himself David Bowie in 1966 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones, lead singer with Beatles rivals The Monkees, and studied Buddhism and mime. Mr Bowie died on Sunday "surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer," said a statement posted on his social media accounts