A lot of rock stars don't have much to say. Well, nothing important, at least. Not the case with David Bowie. Even when addled by addiction, Bowie could give a tantalizing look into his thought process or post a provocative admission. At the very least, he could always be counted on to summon a surreal, lyrical phrase that wouldn't be out of place in one of his epic songs.

For now, Bowie's last words remain a mystery. And it's likely they'll forever be private, though one imagines he would have had something especially grand and mysterious saved up for the occasion. An epitaph witty like Wilde cut-and-pasted with the druggy sci-fi insight of William Burroughs. Or maybe he simply said, "And that's how you do art, losers." Then again, maybe he just asked for a cheeseburger. Who knows.

If we're lucky, we haven't heard the last from a man whose final video was called "Lazarus." Anyone who choreographed his final act so well might still have some surprises left. Until the Man Who Fell To Earth rises from the dead, we'll just need to be satisfied with the brilliance he bequeathed us in his nearly five decades of artistry.

Ahead, the best of Bowie. Because Bowie knows best.