Looking Into The Story Of David Bowie And Iman’s Marriage

Jul 21, 2021 by apost team

David Bowie was a leading figure in the music industry with some of the most influential music and iconic performances to this day. Known for his eclectic nature and style and his impressive musical sound, Bowie was a staple in the industry for well over 50 years. As a singer, songwriter, and even an actor, Bowie was revolutionary.

He has left a lasting impact on the music industry today, with many current artists showing their inspiration from him in their own works. His staging and sound were unique and a world of their own, as Bowie was highly known and appreciated for his epic performances and trailblazing ways. He had created his very own persona and truly embodied what it means to be a real superstar.

At the beginning of his career, Bowie struggled to highlight his many talents and individualism, but he soon learned how to be the star that everyone has gone on to remember him as. He spent time playing in bands as he worked his way to the top, only to once again collaborate with others, but this time some of the greatest for hits like "Under Pressure" and "Dancing in the Street." Throughout his many years in the spotlight, he earned plenty of recognition and rave reviews from fans and critics and was honored with a handful of awards and nominations.

Living as a superstar meant much of Bowie's personal life was publicized, though he did try to keep parts of his life private. He married fashion model Iman, a popular muse for a litany of designers, and stayed together until Bowie died in 2016. Iman has since spoken out about what it was really like to be married to the iconic star.

Born as David Robert Jones on Jan. 8, 1947, Bowie grew up in Brixton in South London. He quickly developed an interest in music when he was just a young boy and received plenty of praise for his great performance as a school student. In 1953, he moved around a bit with his family before finally settling in Sundridge Park. A few years later, he joined the school choir at Burnt Ash Junior School, and while he was greatly skilled at playing musical instruments, his voice was just considered adequate. When he was nine years old, people began to notice his different approach to dancing and how his movements were highly imaginative and innovative.

Bowie fully dove into his passion for the arts and found interest in listening to icons such as Elvis Presley and Little Richard. He soon went on to study art, music, and design at Bromley Technical High School before fully pursuing his passion for music in the early 1960s, learning how to play a variety of instruments such as the ukulele, tea-chest bass, and the piano. 

He had found a love for jazz music and rock and roll and formed his very first band called the Konrads in 1962 when he was just 15 years old. Bowie later left the band in hopes of pursuing a career as a true pop star and joined another band called the King Bees. Unfortunately, Bowie continued to find little success in the music industry and hopped to yet another band, still searching for his real big break.

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Once he embarked on a solo career, the charts and reviews were still not in his favor, and his debut album entitled "David Bowie" did not perform well despite its mixed sound full of pop and psychedelia. His music still saw the light of day and was greatly received, just not when it was sung by him, as he penned the song "Over The Wall We Go," which went on to become a single for Paul Nicholas in 1967.

Just days ahead of the Apollo 11 launch, Bowie released his song "Space Oddity." The song instantly charted and was well-received by fans and critics alike and has since gone on to become one of Bowie's most notable compositions. In November 1969, the singer released his second album, which was also called "David Bowie," just like his debut, and was later reissued as "Space Oddity" to dismiss any confusion. Although the titles were the same, Bowie's debut and second album were nothing alike in sound, as the second album was full of lyrics about peace and love and delivered its message through acoustic folk-rock with some harder rock sounds.

Once again, Bowie departed from the sound he had crafted on his previous album and released "The Man Who Sold the World" in 1970 with a more hard rock sound and references to mental illness and disorders, specifically schizophrenia and paranoia. With yet another rebrand, he managed to tour across the United States to promote the album and leave people marveling at his unique, androgynous appearance and mannerisms.

During his time in America, Bowie formed a character known as Ziggy Stardust, a mesh of the personas of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed and a tribute to "Legendary Stardust Cowboy," to help promote himself as a pop idol. Acknowledging his inspirations, Bowie's album "Hunky Dory" contained a variety of songs dedicated to some of his idols, including Bob Dylan and the Velvet Underground. However, the record failed to perform well.

In February 1972, Bowie completely embraced his Ziggy Stardust persona by dying his hair a reddish-brown color and dressing in costume. He began touring around the United Kingdom and was finally recognized as a real artist, and even acquired an appreciative fanbase. In June of the same year, the star released "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars," combining a mix of his previous sounds with a defining introduction to glam rock. Bowie had finally hit his breakthrough. The Independent reported that the year 1973 marked the end of Ziggy Stardust as Bowie introduced a new persona with a lightning bolt painted over his face, a look that has since gone on to be considered a staple for Bowie's appearance.

While Bowie had found great success portraying a character on stage for his musical performances, he also found a passion for acting in the film and television industry. He earned himself the leading roles in a variety of films such as "The Man Who Fell to Earth" in 1976, "Just A Gigolo" in 1978, and "Baal" in 1982. He proved to be a serious and successful actor, while his stage performances were just as captivating.

Prior to his film career really taking off, Bowie had moved to New York City in 1974 before making his way to Los Angeles. The Diamond Dogs Tour kicked off in June that same year to promote his new album "Diamond Dogs," and the show was a true spectacle full of lavish special effects and choreography. It was a huge milestone for the singer, and a documentary depicting the tour was later released, showing just how fragile and frail Bowie had become while riding the wave of stardom. He had been struggling with personal demons and his own paranoia but made a comeback and continued to thrive in the entertainment industry, cementing his position as a superstar. 

In 1977, Bowie released one of his most iconic and memorable songs in his repertoire, "Heroes," a single for the album of the same name. With uplifting lyrics and a sound similar to the Velvet Underground, "Heroes" went on to be considered one of the best songs in Bowie's discography. His fresh status as a true superstar allowed Bowie to continue on his path of changing up his musical sound and image as the years progressed. 

The 1980s brought some of Bowie's greatest career milestones. He starred as the leading role of John Merrick in the Broadway production of "The Elephant Man" in 1980 and went on to work with the band Queen the following year for a duet, "Under Pressure." With both artists each having a huge fanbase of their own, the duet was met with great reception and success as it charted in the UK. The bassline in the song was infectious and drew listeners in.

Bowie went on to be honored with the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, the first artist to be given the award alongside the Beatles and their director Richard Lester. He continued showing off his talents with a dance-oriented album called "Tonight," which was released in 1984. The following year, he performed at Wembley Stadium for the benefit concert Live Aid, where he premiered his music video for "Dancing in the Street," a duet with Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones. The music video lived up to the song's title with Bowie and Jagger dancing joyfully and eccentrically in the streets.

As the decade continued, so did Bowie's career. While his performance in the 1986 film "Absolute Beginners" was poorly received, his theme song for the movie had a different story. He also went on to star as the Goblin King in the 1986 film "Labyrinth" and worked with composer Trevor Jones on five songs for the soundtrack.

The megastar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1996 and continued to make his mark on the music industry by releasing more albums and writing more songs. He began having health issues in 2004 when he suffered a heart attack in June and sporadically took time off from then until 2013. On his 66th birthday, it was announced that his next album, "The Next Day," would be released in March 2013, his first album in a decade.

On his 69th birthday, Bowie released "Blackstar," an album that was meant to be his last and his parting gift for fans as he had previously been diagnosed with liver cancer but did not publicize his condition. Just two days after his birthday, Bowie died in his New York City apartment from liver cancer. In true Bowie fashion, he had still been hard at work the days leading up to his death.

Staying true to his rock and roll career, Bowie went on to marry a model in a marriage full of real and authentic love. He married Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, better known by her stage name Iman, a fashion model who is known for being a muse to past and present designers such as Gianni Versace and Calvin Klein. He had previously been married to Mary Angela Barnett, and the couple had one son together named Duncan Jones, who went on to become a film director. Their divorce was finalized in 1980 after ten years of marriage.

On Apr. 24, 1992, Bowie and Iman were married in a private ceremony in Lausanne in Switzerland. It was later solemnized in Italy on Jun. 6, 1992. The couple went on to have one daughter together, Alexandria Zahra Jones, who was born in August 2000. In an archived interview from CNN, Iman revealed that she and Bowie had been set up on a blind together with one another. They both had the same hairdresser, though they didn't know each other, so the hairdresser set them up together.

Sparks flew, and the two fell in love, leading to a long-lasting relationship and marriage. Iman credited the fact that they were "private people" to their success as a couple in the public eye. "It's just knowing what your priorities are when you get married, I think that makes a big difference," she added. What really attested to their love was the fact that they loved each other for who they truly were. "I fell in love with David Jones. I did not fall in love with David Bowie," Iman said, as per the Guardian.

Though they kept much of their relationship private, Bowie had spoken about his love and attraction for Iman a few times during his life. "My attraction to her was immediate and all-encompassing," he said shortly after Alexandria was born, as per Essence. "I couldn't sleep for the excitement of our first date. That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal." He also said that he "knew she was the one."

Iman believed that it was "destiny" for her and Bowie to meet and be together, as per Hollywood Life. "I truly in my heart feel it was predestined," she said. Iman never remarried following Bowie's death, and she has actually gone on to open up more about what their relationship was like. She admitted that she misses his sense of humor the most, explaining that "he made me laugh every day," as she told Essence in July 2019.

Shortly after Bowie's death, Iman wrote a tribute to her late husband in an Instagram post on Jun. 6, 2016, on what would have been their 24th wedding anniversary. "The best part of me is you," the caption read with a black-and-white photo of the couple lovingly embracing one another on a beach.

Bowie and Iman remained one of the most beloved and one of the most private couples in a world full of widespread media attention and recognition. On his own, Bowie had a remarkably successful and memorable career, with his legacy continuing on. Iman has also had a great career of her own and has received plenty of praise for her innovation in the fashion industry and her impact on the standards of beauty.

What do you think about David Bowie's career? Were you surprised that he and Iman were able to have such a private relationship despite their popularity? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones, too!