David Bowie died of cancer on January 10, 2016, at age 69, after a private 18‑month battle with liver cancer.

Quick Scoop

  • Bowie passed away at his apartment in New York City on January 10, 2016.
  • His death came just two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar.
  • He had been diagnosed with liver cancer about 18 months earlier, a diagnosis he kept largely private, sharing it only with close family and collaborators.
  • A statement from his official channels said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family, after a “courageous 18‑month battle with cancer.”

Was there any mystery or speculation?

  • Officially, the cause of death is cancer; accounts from collaborators have specified liver cancer, and this has been widely reported.
  • Bowie’s team did not turn his illness into a public narrative, which led to shock and online speculation when the news broke, but no credible evidence supports alternative causes such as self‑harm or foul play.

Artistic context around his death

  • Bowie was working intensely up to the end, completing Blackstar and the musical Lazarus , both of which many fans and critics interpret as meditations on mortality and farewell.
  • He reportedly continued treatments and creative projects even after learning his cancer was terminal, framing his final works as a last artistic statement rather than stepping away from the public eye.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.