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David Bowie born
David Robert Jones is born in the Brixton section of London to Margaret "Peggy" Burns and Heywood "John" Jones. The couple marry eight months later. -
First band
Bowie's first band, Davie Jones & The King Bees, puts out its first single, "Liza Jane," but breaks up soon after. -
Change his name to DAVID BOWIE
Four years after changing his stage name to David Bowie -- to avoid confusion with actor and future Monkee Davy Jones -- the 22-year-old releases his breakthrough single, "Space Oddity." -
First time played publicly
In a BBC session, Bowie plays publicly for the first time with guitarist Mick Ronson, who would soon become the linchpin of backing band The Spiders From Mars. -
Married
Bowie marries actress Angela Barnett, who would give birth to their son, Zowie (aka future film director Duncan Jones) in May 1971. -
Performed STARMAN
Bowie performs "Starman" -- from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars -- on British TV program Top of the Pops, which introduces the singer and his Ziggy Stardust persona to a generation. -
Problem
After a show at London's Hammersmith Odeon, The Spiders break up and Bowie retires the Ziggy Stardust character. -
Bowie left Britain
Bowie leaves Britain. Though he would visit London, he never lives there again -- instead residing in Los Angeles, Berlin, Switzerland and the island of Mustique. He died a New Yorker. -
Second Single
"Fame" -- the second single from ninth album Young Americans -- hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the British artist his first U.S. chart-topper. -
Arrested
Arrested with Iggy Pop for marijuana possession in upstate New York. The charges are later dismissed. -
First LP
Signs a lucrative contract with EMI, estimated at $17 million. His first LP for the label, April's Let's Dance, spawns three hit singles and a massive global tour. -
Dancing in the Street
Bowie and Mick Jagger's high-camp video for their version of Martha & The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" is screened twice at the inaugural Live Aid. -
Goblin King
Jim Henson's Labyrinth opens to mixed reviews and disappointing box office in the United States, with Bowie co-starring as Jareth the Goblin King. -
Pop Stardom
In an attempt to distance himself from pop stardom, Bowie forms Tin Machine with guitarist Reeves Gabrels -- an abrasive four-piece that releases its self-titled debut album on this day. -
Divorce
Following his 1980 divorce from Angie, Bowie marries model Iman Abdulmajid in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy. Their daughter, Alexandria, would be born in 2000. -
Bad Lucky
The first stop on a co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails receives hostile audience reactions. "I did like the combination, but my fans didn't," Bowie later says. "Bad luck!" -
Bowienet
Bowienet -- arguably the first musician-driven social media site -- launches, offering downloadable material (including tour recordings and access to the artist's journals) for a $20 monthly subscription. -
Concert for New York City
After the 9/11 attacks, Bowie opens the Concert for New York City with a stunning cover of Paul Simon's "America" at Madison Square Garden. -
Heart attack
A few days after suffering a heart attack backstage in Prague, Bowie plays the final concert of a 112-show global run in Scheesel, Germany. He never tours again. -
Last public concert
His last public concert takes place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, where he sings three songs, including a duet of "Changes" with Alicia Keys. -
Where Are We Now?
On his 66th birthday, Bowie surprise-releases a new single, "Where Are We Now?" and announces an LP, The Next Day, launching a productive burst that marked his last years. -
LAZARUS
Lazarus -- a stage production co-written by Bowie and Irish playwright Enda Walsh -- premieres at the New York Theatre Workshop. -
Passed away
Bowie dies in New York, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his 26th studio LP Blackstar.