David Bowie, unpredictable rock superstar

David Bowie made clear, in a way that was exhilarating and sometimes frightening, what every rock star since Elvis Presley and Little Richard had been telling us all along — that anything was possible.

With his unpredictable range of styles, his melding of European jadedness with American rhythms and his ever changing personas and wardrobes, the gaunt and erudite Bowie brought an open theatricality and androgyny to popular music that changed the very meaning of being a rock star.

From album to album, and concert to concert, fans were never sure how he would look — in black leather and a pompadour; in makeup and orange hair as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust; shirtless and wearing a Mohawk; or elegant and debauched in a dark vest and white shirt, cigarette dangling from his mouth, taking in the uncertainty of modern life.

"My entire career, I've only really worked with the same subject matter," Bowie, whose death was announced early Monday, told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "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."

Representative Steve Martin said that Bowie died "peacefully" surrounded by family after battling cancer for 18 months.

"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief," the statement read. No more details were provided.

Bowie turned 69 on Friday, the same day he released a new album called "Blackstar." He also released a music video on Friday for the song "Lazarus," which shows a frail Bowie lying in bed, eyes bandaged. The song begins with the line: "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

To millions of fans, his appeal was on all levels — visually, intellectually, sonically. He was as likely to quote Friedrich Nietzsche as he was to refer to an old pop song. He was a writer, a musician and producer. He was also one of the first rock stars to receive serious critical attention as a stage performer, for "The Elephant Man," and as a movie actor for "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" and "The Man Who Fell to Earth" among others. Years before the rise of MTV he was using videos not just for promotion, but for creating narratives and expanding on the themes implicit in the music.