David Bowie: publicist's statement in full

The 69-year-old had an 18 month battle with cancer

(Rex)

David Bowie's publicist has confirmed the singer and rock icon's death from cancer.

Steve Martin confirmed that the a Facebook announcement, which some fans thought was a hoax, was true.

David Bowie: Follow all the latest news and upates via the live blog.

The post read:

"January 10 2016 - David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer.

"While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief."

January 10 2016 - David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with...

Posted by David Bowie on Sunday, January 10, 2016

Minutes after the statement was posted at about 6.30am on Monday morning, the singer's publicist told Sky News it was genuine.

Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, confirmed the news on Twitter.

He said: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."

Aged 69 at the time of his death, Mr Bowie first won critical acclaim for "Space Oddity" in 1969 and was well-known for his alter ego Ziggy Stardust which emerged during the glam rock era of the 1970s.