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David Bowie dies aged 69

The stars look very different today.

Music legend David Bowie has died aged 69 after a battle with cancer. He only released his latest album Blackstar on his birthday on Friday.

David Bowie, 1947-2016.

"David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer," a statement issued by his son, Warcraft director Duncan Jones, read.

"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."

Bowie's 50-year music career involved multiple personas and the release of a raft of groundbreaking albums, many of which have been used for video game soundtracks. The Midge Ure cover of Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World, for example, stars in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima tweeted this morning:

In 1999 Bowie dipped into the world of video games with Omikron: The Nomad Soul, known as The Nomad Soul in Europe. The adventure game was developed by Heavy Rain maker Quantic Dream and released for Dreamcast and PC.

Bowie played a couple of characters in the game: Boz, a revolutionary wanted by the authorities, and the lead singer of a group called The Dreamers, who perform illegal gigs in Omikron. Bowie also devoted a number of tracks to the game's soundtrack.

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