David Bowie, the innovative and iconic singer whose illustrious career lasted five decades, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 69. Read the full story here. Picture: Masayoshi Sukita

Representative Steve Martin said that Mr. Bowie died “peacefully” and was surrounded by family. The statement read: “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.” An exhibition in Melbourne last year celebrated the music icon’s defining moment s. Picture: Masayoshi Sukita

David Bowie was born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947, in Brixton, London. Mr. Bowie turned 69 on Friday, the same day he released a new album called “Blackstar.”

Bowie came of age in the glam rock era of the early 1970s. He had a striking androgynous look in his early days and was known for changing his looks and sounds. Picture: Ralph Gatti

Bowie is pictured on June 29, 1971, with his ex-wife Angie and three week old son Zowie.

Bowie and Mick Jagger in the video for ‘Dancing in the Street’.

Director Duncan Jones, left, and his father in 2009.

“My entire career, I’ve only really worked with the same subject matter,” Bowie said in a 2002 interview with The Associated Press. “The trousers may change, but the actual words and subjects I’ve always chosen to write with are things to do with isolation, abandonment, fear and anxiety - all of the high points of one’s life.” Picture: Martin Bureau

Ricky Gervais, Bowie and Ashley Jensen during a photo shoot for the singer’s slot in the TV show Extras in 2006.

“What I’m most proud of is that I can’t help but notice that I’ve affected the vocabulary of pop music. For me, frankly, as an artist, that’s the most satisfying thing for the ego.” Here David Bowie is pictured performing at the 2002 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards in New York. Picture: Scott Gries

Mr. Bowie kept a low profile in recent years after reportedly suffering a heart attack in the 2000s. He was married to international supermodel Iman since 1992. Here they are pictured together at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards in June, 2010. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris

Flowers are left below a mural of Bowie on the wall of a Morley’s store in Brixton, London, the singer’s birthplace.