More about: David Bowie

It has been revealed that David Bowie, who died yesterday at the age of 69, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer more than a year ago.

The Ziggy Stardust icon lost the battle against the illness after fighting for 18 months. He kept the ordeal secret from the public.

Despite his diagnosis, Bowie continued to make music, releasing his latest album on his 69th birthday, last week. Entitled Blackstar, the album marked his twenty-fifth studio recording.

Bowie told Ivo Van Hove, the director of a musical based on his songs, that he wanted to “make a second one now”, reflecting on his creative spirit. Van Hove told Dutch radio station NOS.nl, “He told me more than one year and three months ago that he had liver cancer, just after he had been told himself. He said that because he knew that he may not always be able to be around.”

Bowie had sent poignant thank-you notes to friends who remained unaware of his illness.

The music legend was last seen in public at the premiere of the musical Lazarus, which was based on his back catalogue. Van Hove said that Bowie was so ill that he “collapsed from exhaustion”.

Van Hove was sworn to secrecy with regards to Bowie’s illness, but he was told by Bowie himself, “We have to work together very intensely for the next year and I want you to know, if I cannot be there, why that is.”

Bowie passed away yesterday morning. Yesterday, thousands of fans gathered in his place of birth, Brixton, to celebrate the music icon’s legacy. 

More about: David Bowie