Five times when David Bowie proved his love for sci-fi

British rockstar David Bowie, who passed away on Sunday, was fascinated by science fiction and technology.

-Ziggy Stardust

Bowie was regarded by many observers as a chameleon who created elaborate musical alter egos. The most popular among them was Ziggy Stardust, who was inspired by sci-fi themes like aliens and black holes.

-'Space Oddity'

The song was one of Bowie's iconic hits featuring melancholy astronaut Major Tom, a recurring character in several other Bowie numbers. In 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded a cover version of the song inside the International Space Station.

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-The Man Who Fell to Earth

In the 1976 film adaptation of the eponymous novel, the musician portrayed an alien in search of water following his planet's devastation in a drought. The performance received a Saturn award, which is handed out by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Bowie's cinematic tastes often veered towards science and fantasy as witnessed by his role of a goblin in the 1986 film Labyrinth and a vampire in 1983's The Hunger.



David Bowie performing at a concert (Image: Reuters)

-Bowie as Nikola Tesla

For his 2006 drama about warring magicians The Prestige, director Christopher Nolan cast Bowie as American inventor and physicist Nikola Tesla. The musician, who shares Tesla's innovative and eccentric spirit, was embraced by geeks in the role.

-His own internet service

In 2000, Bowie launched his own internet service called the Bowienet. While it was seen by some as an attempt to cash in on the tech boom, others argued that the artist was interested in new advancements. Bowienet was a music portal and information resource.

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