David Bowie celebrations mark what would have been his 80th birthday

A string of special events, releases, collaborations and fan experiences have kicked off around the world to mark what would have been David Bowie’s 80th birthday.

Bowie, widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time, would have turned 80 on January 8 next year.

He died aged 69 on January 10 2016 after an 18-month battle with cancer.

A decade on, a celebration of his life and career has been announced.

2GN5430 British singer and songwriter David Bowie, 1970s

Titled Bowie80, organisers say the events will acknowledge how Bowie’s impact can still be “seen, heard and felt across all forms of art and in mainstream and outsider culture spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries”.

The events, which start on Monday and will continue throughout next year, will be announced through the bowie80.davidbowie.com website.

The first new initiative is an exclusive partnership with US department store Nordstrom which organisers say “celebrates Bowie’s enduring influence on fashion”.

Exclusive and limited-edition collections will be sold in its flagship stores in Seattle, New York City and Chicago as well as online.

The range will include clothing and accessories from designers and brands such as Undercover, Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith and AllSaints.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is planning a Bowie80 celebration that will include a pop-up store running from mid-November to January.

The attraction will also host events on Bowie’s birthday weekend in January, including educational presentations, trivia, music and photo ops.

They will be held alongside an exhibition featuring the work of influential rock and roll photographers, some of which has never been seen.

KKDXPW David Bowie, the British singer, songwriter, and actor, in 1974, a pivotal year in his career.

The exhibit and programming details will be announced in the coming months.

The Morrison Hotel Gallery will host Strange Fascination, a major photography exhibition celebrating the “artistry, evolution and fearless reinvention of one of the most photographed and visually transformative figures in modern culture”.

It will open in February in New York City and West Hollywood with career-defining and previously unreleased photographs from the archives of Morrison Hotel Gallery and the David Bowie estate.

It has been billed as an “intimate visual journey through six definitive eras, identities and reinventions that helped define his extraordinary influence on music, fashion, art and culture”.

Another event, Bowie (breaking) Glass – a live symphonic concert developed by Schirmer Theatrical with Ostre Gasvaerk Teater – will have its world premiere in Copenhagen in the spring.

Perryscope Productions, the longtime merchandising representatives for Bowie, have also launched exclusive Bowie80 merchandise.

These events and collections follow exhibitions that have already been announced across the UK.

Earlier this year the show, David Bowie: You’re Not Alone, was launched at London’s Lightroom.

The 360-degree film – narrated by Bowie using interviews throughout his career – takes visitors through some of his key songs and performances, including Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide at Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973.

Next year it will be staged in Manchester and Brighton, as well as its first European venue, Port des Lumieres in Hamburg.

David Bowie: On Tour will see 100 items related to the star from the V&A archive, some of which have never been on public display, go on show at locations across the country, beginning at the V&A Dundee from November to February, before moving to Blackpool.

FW2R6T David Bowie,’ The Today Show ‘ Summer Concert Series New York City 09-18-2003Photo Michael Brito

Exhibits will include costumes from the singer’s Ziggy Stardust period, designed by Freddie Burretti and Kansai Yamamoto, sketches for the accompanying tour, and an acoustic guitar.

Organisers of Bowie80 say there will be more announcements including “groundbreaking audiovisual presentations, experiences and fan-centric activities worldwide” announced in 2026 and 2027.

Bowie had five number one singles and 11 number one albums in the UK during his lifetime, and is best known for songs such as Space Oddity, Ashes To Ashes and Sound And Vision.

He released his final album, Blackstar, on his 69th birthday, two days before his death in 2016.

It became his first album to reach number one in the US, topped charts in more than 20 countries, and won five Grammy Awards.