David Bowie fans mourn death of music, cultural icon

I read the news today, oh boy.

Music fans awoke this morning to news that rock icon and fashion chameleon David Bowie died. 

Bowie died after an 18-month battle with cancer on Sunday, "surrounded by family," according to representative Steve Martin.

• David Bowie dead at 69 after cancer battle

Bowie's 69th birthday was on Jan. 8, and the news comes just as his first album in three years, Blackstar, was released.

Fans like Brian Tebay told CBC News he was shocked and saddened to hear the news. 

"It's shocking, I mean David Bowie had a huge impact on people over many generations. It's a show stopper and he'll be definitely missed," he told CBC's Paul Palmeter at the Dartmouth ferry terminal Monday morning. 

"His music touched millions upon millions of people." 

When asked to name his favourite Bowie song, Tebay said "there's too many, just way too many."

"I think he was very, very talented — not just in his music. He was political, to some degree and he wasn't afraid to show it."

Heather Townsend echoed Tebay's sentiments. 

"I thought it was really, really sad. I grew up with him and all his music. … He wasn't that much older than I am. It's sad, we're going to miss him," she said.

"He was an individual and he didn't follow anyone else's road." 

Townsend said her favourite Bowie song was Rebel, Rebel. 

Shawn Peck said he's been a fan of Bowie's since the early 1980s and The Thin White Duke's new wave and pop era.

He said choosing just one song as his favourite is a difficult task.

"Ah, there's so many. Major Tom for sure … one that my sister played for me a long time ago," he said. 

Peck said it's a sad day. 

"It's definitely a tragic day for all David Bowie fans and the music world, for sure. I don't even really know what to say other than that. … He was a great musician and a great songwriter," he said. 

"He brought innovation, for sure. He has [a big] following, a lot of people trying to copy what he was doing."