Tributes left at London mural for David Bowie marking 10th anniversary of his death

People in London left tributes at a mural for David Bowie marking the 10th anniversary of his death on Saturday (January 10). 

    Some wrote tributes and laid flowers at the Brixton mural, while others posed for pictures. 

    Legendary British rock star David Bowie, who framed hits such as "Ziggy Stardust" with daringly androgynous displays of sexuality and glittering costumes, died ten years ago on January 10, aged 69, after a secret battle with cancer.

    Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, confirmed the death at that time.

    Born David Jones in the Brixton area of south London, he took up the saxophone at age 13 before changing his name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with the Monkees' Davy Jones, according to Rolling Stone magazine. 

    His first studio album in June 1967 was self-titled "David Bowie" and included singles "Rubber Band" and "The Laughing Gnome." It failed commercially, leading to Bowie being dropped by Deram Records.

    However, he shot to fame in Europe with 1969's "Space Oddity," whose lyrics he said were inspired by watching Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey" while stoned. Bowie's hollow lyrics summed up the loneliness of the Cold War space race between the United States and the Soviet Union and coincided with the Apollo landing on the moon.

    But it was Bowie's 1972 portrayal of a doomed bisexual alien rock star, Ziggy Stardust, that propelled him to global stardom. Bowie and Ziggy, wearing outrageous costumes, makeup and bright orange hair, took the rock world by storm.

Production: Isafel Infantes, Vaishnavi Hajari/Reuters