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On January 10th, 2016 David Bowie shocked the world when he passed away after battling liver cancer for 18 months. He died in his New York City home surrounded by his family.

Bowie kept his sickness private from the world, which is why everyone was so stunned to hear the news. It seemed like Bowie was on top of his game as he had just released his 26th studio album Blackstar only two days before his death, which also happened to be his 69th birthday.

Many of Bowie’s close friends, including Iggy Pop, Mike Garson, Brian Eno, Tina Turner, and Nile Rogers were unaware of Bowie’s cancer and just as shocked as his fans were at the devastating news.

In typical Bowie fashion, the eccentric rockstar had to leave the world in an artistic way. After his passing, it was clear that Bowie’s final album Blackstar was pointing to his fate. “Look up here, I’m in heaven/I’ve got scars that can’t be seen,” was an eerie line in the album’s track Lazarus, which seems to have been a pre-planned message from beyond the grave. Even the album’s title is said to have symbolized death, as “Black Star” is also the name of a cancerous lesion along with the transitional period between a collapsing star and singularity. Elvis Presley, who Bowie was a huge fan of, once sang “When a man sees his black star, he knows his time has come” in his own song titlde Black Star.

The loss of David Bowie has been felt deeply for the past six years. The Starman left a mark on the planet that can never be replaced. We miss him every single day.

Watch David Bowie’s haunting music video for Lazarus, which clearly symbolizes his passing that came soon after.