The legendary David Bowie died early Monday, 18 months after having been diagnosed with cancer, according to a post on his official Facebook page. His son confirmed the news on Twitter. He was 69.

Bowie, a prolific and influential musician nearly without parallel, was born David Jones, in South London, on January 8, 1947. Throughout his career, his music and performances explored notions of identity and transformation.

He released his 26th studio album, Blackstar, on Friday, his birthday, last week.

Photo via AP Images. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.