Fans Around The World Gather In Their Thousands To Mourn The Loss Of David Bowie

Fans have been dancing in the street from David Bowie‘s birthplace in London right across the world to his adopted home in New York, to celebrate the departed icon’s life and musical legacy.

News of the Starman’s passing at the age of 69 following a secret battle with cancer shocked the world overnight, and tributes are continuing to pour in from fans, musicians, politicians and everyone else across the planet and beyond.

As Yahoo! reports, a crowd of around 2,000 punters flocked to the south-London suburb of Brixton where Bowie first sauntered into the world, to lay flowers beneath a giant mural of his face, painted by Australian street artist James Cochran.

Elsewhere around the UK, fans clutching beers and decked out in Ziggy Stardust facepaint and Bowie t-shirts have held street parties honouring the fallen legend.

In Germany, Bowie has been remembered for the significant part he played in toppling the notorious Berlin Wall.

The city’s Mayor Michael Mueller said simply that Bowie “was one of us” (via ABC).

“We are proud of that,” he added, calling the song Heroes “a hymn to our divided city and its longing for freedom”.

The rocker called West Berlin home for three years during the 1970s, and fans have laid flowers and candles at the doorstep of his former residence in the Schoeneberg district as a sign of respect:

Fans lay flowers and candles at the doorstep where Bowie once lived in Berlin, Germany (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, fans queued outside the Groninger Museum, which is currently showcasing a collection of Bowie’s costumes, lyrics and other memorabilia from across his colourful career.

Karina Smrkovsky, the museum’s communications director, told The New York Times that there were 50 visitors waiting outside the museum when it first opened, following the news of the singer’s death.

“After that people have just been coming and coming,” she said.

Inside the museum, fans have been watching videos and signing a condolence book.

Visitors take pictures Bowie displayed behind a condolence book in the Groninger Museum, in Groningen, The Netherlands (Photo: ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

While in New York, fans have created makeshift shrines to the iconic singer outside his apartment building.

Flowers, candles and pictures sit at a memorial in New York City (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

And on the other side of the US coast, grieving fans have gathered to create an impromptu shrine around Ziggy’s star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

Bowie fan grieves in Hollywood, California. (Photo: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)

Here in Australia, there’ve been no shortage of Bowie tributes either. Fans in Newcastle, NSW have begun posting tribute messages on an inner-city mural of Bowie as his Labyrinth character The Goblin King.

Pic via ABC News: Hannah Thompson

Pic via ABC News: Hannah Thompson

Pic via ABC News: Hannah Thompson

Bowie had a strong love affair with Australia and some people forget that he actually lived in an apartment in Sydney for around a decade.

As Yahoo reports, Bowie owned a luxury apartment at Elizabeth Bay until 1992, which he used as as a base for his outback adventures and trips to far north Queensland.

Bowie’s first trip to Australia was during his 1978 Heroes World Tour, and he returned in the early 80’s to film the music videos for both China Girl and Let’s Dance.

The latter clip was filmed in the smoke-filled Carinda Hotel in a tiny town in western New South Wales, which has since become a popular pilgrimage for tourists and Bowie superfans.

It is very sad to hear of the passing of the late David Bowie after his 18 month battle with cancer. In 1983 Bowie... Posted by Carinda Hotel on Sunday, January 10, 2016
David Bowie released his 25th and final studio album Blackstar just days before his death. It's currently sitting at number 1 on the iTunes charts. Ashes to Ashes, dust to stardust. RIP Starman. Thanks for inspiring us all with your brilliance. bowie Gallery: 25 Iconic Pictures of David Bowie Watch: David Bowie - Let's Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4d7Wp9kKjA
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