“As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn't really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn't have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.”

British musician and actor of the late 20th century, Bowie was a boundary-pushing innovator in rock and pop, blending avant-garde artistry with theatrical reinvention. His work redefined identity and genre, from the androgynous glam of *Ziggy Stardust* to the experimental depth of *Low*.