FAREWELL TO THE THIN WHITE DUKE

Photo Credit: http://images.wolfgangsvault.com/

No, not David Bowie.

I looked at the Facebook post Monday morning and adjusted my glasses. It was 6 a.m. and I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Surely I was seeing things.

But there it was, as clear as day. 

#RIPDavidBowie

Maybe my friend who wrote the post was wrong. Maybe she had misunderstood something. After all, there had been an incredible amount of chatter about Bowie on social media the last several months, all leading up to the release of his album, “Blackstar,” on Jan. 8, 2016, his 69^th birthday.

Determined to prove her post was a sham, I scrolled through my Facebook feed looking for proof.

But proof was elusive, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that my friend wasn’t a victim of an internet hoax. David Bowie was gone.

And now, more than 36 hours after learning of his death, a part of me still hopes it’s an elaborate publicity scheme. Just like I’m waiting for my numbers to come up on Powerball, I’m expecting a great big “Aha! I got you ... did you miss me?” I imagine that at any moment, Bowie will reappear on the world stage, smiling not with his mouth but with his eyes, those brilliant, hypnotic orbs that were both steely and warm at the same time.

My lone basis for this is my fading memory of all things Catholic. In the bible, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead four days after his burial. There's a song called "Lazarus" on "Blackstar." Ergo, I have this crazy, half-ass idea that Bowie will do the same.

Oh, sure, we’ll all be mad as hell at first, but then we’ll forgive and forget. After all, this is David Bowie. The Thin White Duke. Major Tom. Ziggy Stardust. Rebel Rebel.

And then reality returns, like the bitch it can be. Bowie graced us with his presence and his genius for 69 years and 2 days. He was indeed “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” And on Jan. 10, he became the man who rose to heaven.

He was always ahead of his time, so it’s only natural to think of him being eternal. Bowie was the King of Reinvention before Madonna developed her first stage presence. If people find it groundbreaking that Lady Gaga sang a duet with Tony Bennett, remember that Bowie did a Christmas duet with Bing Crosby in 1977 – nine years before Gaga was born.

Bowie was impossibly cool in all he did, and he has no equal. Thank you, David, for being in my world in my lifetime.

Now...let's dance...