Son confirms David Bowie has died, aged 69

The son of David Bowie has confirmed his passing on Twitter this morning, sharing his sadness at the death of his father from cancer at the age of 69. Duncan Jones (also known as Zowie Bowie) was the first family member to speak out about the sudden loss of one of the world's biggest stars, who is also survived by his wife Iman and daughter Alexandria ‘Lexi’ Zahra Jones. Jones posted:

Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 11, 2016

A statement on the singer's website revealed he had been battling cancer for 18 months:

‘David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer,’ the website said. ‘While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.’

Famous for songs including Let's Dance, Space Oddity, Young Americans and Rebel Rebel, Bowie was married to Angie Bowie (the mother of Zowie Bowie, who is currently in Channel Five's Big Brother House) for ten years. He married Somalian model Iman in 1992 and the couple's daughter Alexandria was born in 2000. The family split their time between London and Manhattan. On January 8 last he celebrated his birthday by releasing his latest album Black Star. Image credit: Vogue Magazine