David Bowie wrote and sang songs.
David Robert Jones ( 8 January 1947 -- 10 January 2016 ) , known professionally as David Bowie ( [ ˈboʊi ] ) , was an English singer , songwriter and actor . The character was spearheaded by the success of his single `` Starman '' and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars , which won him widespread popularity . After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s , Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single `` Ashes to Ashes '' , its parent album Scary Monsters and Super Creeps , and `` Under Pressure '' , a 1981 collaboration with Queen .