Jan 11, 2016 2 min read

David Bowie’s death at age 69 from cancer would have been a substantial news story on any day, given the singer’s lengthy career and his broad influence on generations of musicians, as well his impact on the worlds of film, fashion and art.

But it was in many respects a bigger story – and a much greater thunderclap to his legions of fans – because the enigmatic Bowie kept his illness such a tightly held secret. Apparently, only a few intimates were aware he was ailing. Just two days before Bowie’s death, on his birthday, a new album arrived online and in stores.

In fact, much of the last decade of Bowie’s life was shrouded in murk and mystery. At the time of his death, he hadn’t toured in over a decade, and hadn’t given any interviews for the same amount of time. His 2013 return to recording, the album “The Next Day,” was recorded secretly and released suddenly, without much of the traditional promotional fanfare that usually accompanies new albums. Arguably, Bowie’s almost J.D. Salinger-like reserve for much of this century added to his mystique.

That’s not the case with most other contemporary figures who tread the red carpet and stand in the spotlight. Like many everyday folks who can’t resist snapping a photo of their lunch and sharing it on social media, we live in a time when many of the people who entertain us overshare their lives. As the online magazine Slate noted in December, we’ve been duly informed when Kim Kardashian has come down with a sinus infection, how Miley Cyrus is coping with a gluten allergy and how Hayden Panettiere is confronting postpartum depression.

“It wasn’t that long ago that many stars went to great lengths to conceal their health issues, and sometimes they still do,” Slate said. Bowie clearly fell into the latter camp.

As he is being remembered, Bowie is to be applauded for many things. Among them is firing our imaginations, and then, in his later years, leaving something to them.