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‘Lazarus’ and ‘Blackstar’ David Bowie Recorded Five Extra Tracks Before Cancer Death

David Bowie’s Blackstar album and off-Broadway musical Lazarus was one bittersweet goodbye to his fans, who had no idea the legendary musician was dying of cancer. However, it has recently been revealed that Bowie was planning more. Bowie has recorded demos for five extra tracks in what he was hoping to turn into another full album.

Recently, Bowie friend and producer Tony Visconti spoke to Rolling Stone about David Bowie’s five demo tracks as well as Bowie’s post Blackstar plans, saying:

"At that late stage, he was planning the follow-up to Blackstar. And I was thrilled, and I thought, and he thought, that he'd have a few months, at least. Obviously, if he's excited about doing his next album, he must've thought he had a few more months. So the end must've been very rapid. I'm not privy to it. I don't know exactly, but he must've taken ill very quickly after that phone call."

Visconti went on to discuss how he learned about Bowie’s cancer diagnosis, adding:

"He just came fresh from a chemo session, and he had no eyebrows, and he had no hair on his head and there was no way he could keep it a secret from the band. But he told me privately, and I really got choked up when we sat face to face talking about it.

“He was optimistic because he was doing the chemo and it was working and at one point in the middle of last year, he was in remission. I was thrilled. And he was a bit apprehensive. He said, 'Well, don't celebrate too quickly. For now I'm in remission, and we'll see how it goes.' And he continued the chemotherapy. So I thought he was going to make it. And in November, it just suddenly came back. It had spread all over his body, so there's no recovering from that."

What do you think about Visconti’s story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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