Martin Scorsese pays tribute to the late David Bowie

"He was one of those extraordinary artists that come along so rarely"

David Bowie as Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ

Film director Martin Scorsese has spoken out for the first time since David Bowie passed away peacefully at the age of 69 on Monday.

Bowie starred in Scorsese's controversial filmThe Last Temptation of Christ in 1988, memorably playing religious figure Pontius Pilate.

The filmmaker paid tribute in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, saying: "It's a shock to think that David Bowie is gone.

"He was one of those extraordinary artists that come along so rarely. There's a song on his album Low called 'Speed of Life,' and that's the speed at which he seemed to move - his music and his image and his focus were always changing, always in motion, and with every movement, every change, he left a deep imprint on the culture."

Reflecting upon their time working together on set, the GoodFellas director said, "I was a little taken aback when I met Bowie."

The filmmaker recollected: "He was such a quiet and concentrated and thoughtful man, and he was truly humble... he was a sheer joy."

He was a great artist and he left behind a remarkable body of work."