History Characters / DavidBowie

* FaceOfTheBand: Invoked in-story. According to the song "Ziggy Stardust", he became "the special man" of the Spiders from Mars, with his once-equal bandmates becoming jealous and resentful of him as a result. (Lyrics from this song provide the trope's header quote.)

* BadassBaritone: It was around this time that Bowie started to rely more on his lower vocal registers.

Bowie's follow-up to ''Ziggy Stardust'' was a SpiritualSuccessor. Owing to Bowie's concern that the character of Ziggy was overwhelming him, ''Aladdin Sane'' is a ConceptAlbum focusing on the fall of a faux-Ziggy as he travels through America, reflecting the fact that Bowie wrote the bulk of the songs during a tour of the U.S. The album was released prior to Bowie returning to the U.K. for the final leg of touring as Ziggy.

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: As the final "proper" Bowie character, he's like a sad reflection of several of Ziggy and Major Tom who's undergone PossessionBurnout
* DeathActivatedSuperpower: While on his deathbed, he suddenly begins [[spoiler: to levitate]].
* DeathbedConfession: The video for "Lazarus" could be interpreted as this for the Prophet, as we see him in a hospital bed referencing his life.

--> From ''[[Music/{{Blackstar}} ★ (Blackstar)]]'' (2016)

* KnightofCerebus: Arguably the scariest of all of Bowie's personas, and the one that came closest to killing his creator.

* SpiritMedium: Seems to play the role of one, convulsing like a Pentecostal preacher.

!!The Blind Prophet
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blindprophet.jpg]]
--> From ''[[Music/{{Blackstar}} ★ (Blackstar)]]'' (2016)
A preacher-like figure who wears a bandage over his face, with black buttons where his eyes would be. Often seen moving strangely.
* BlindSeer: Appears to function as this for the cult featured in the video for "Blackstar".
* ContinuityNod: Like Ziggy, he seems to be a vessel for a greater force, and the "Blackstar" video makes it look like he's part of the cult worshipping [[spoiler: Major Tom's jewel-encrusted skull]]. His lack of eyes could also be a reference to the video for "The Next Day".
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: As the final "proper" Bowie character, he's like a sad reflection of several of Ziggy and Major Tom who's undergone PossessionBurnout
* DeathActivatedSuperpower: While on his deathbed, he suddenly begins [[spoiler: to levitate]].
* DeathbedConfession: The video for "Lazarus" could be interpreted as this for the Prophet, as we see him in a hospital bed referencing his life.
* FinalSpeech: "Lazarus" is mostly portrayed as a long monologue delivered by him while lying in bed.
* RichesToRags: According to "Lazarus", he "was living like a king" at one point, only to wind up in a dingy hospital bed.
* SpiritMedium: Seems to play the role of one, convulsing like a Pentecostal preacher.

* Foil: Contrasted in the "Blackstar" and "Lazarus" videos with a different preacher figure, also played by Bowie. While that figure is menacing, the Blind Prophet seems more helpless and sad.
* RichestoRags: According to "Lazarus", he "was living like a king" at one point, only to wind up in a dingy hospital bed.

* ContinuityNod: Like Ziggy, he seems to be a vessel for a greater force, and the "Blackstar" video makes it look like he's part of the cult worshipping [[spoiler: Major Tom's skull]]. His lack of eyes could also be a reference to the video for "The Next Day".
* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: As the final "proper" Bowie character, he's like a sad reflection of several of Ziggy who's undergone PossessionBurnout

* BlindSeer: Appears to function this for the cult featured in the video for "Blackstar".
* ContinuityNod: Like Ziggy, he seems to be a vessel for a greater force, and the "Blackstar" video makes it look like he's part of the cult worshipping [[spoiler: Major Tom's skull]].

* LighterAndSofter: Although he's somewhat creepy and melancholic, he's a far cry from the terrifying Thin White Duke.

* BlindSeer: Appears to be this for the cult featured in the video for "Blackstar".

* ShoutOut: Possibly to ''Literature/Coraline''.

* ShoutOut: Possibly to ''WesternAnimation/Coraline''.

* FluffyFashionFeathers: Ziggy Stardust occasionally donned a feather boa; according to WordOfGod in the retrospective book ''Moonage Daydream'', this was "a rather feeble visual pun" on Music/AliceCooper's use of boa constrictors in his stage shows.

* ShoutOut: At least one in the name. Though Bowie's denied it, ''Ziggy'' is commonly assumed to be a reference to Music/IggyPop. WordOfGod confirms that ''Stardust'' refers to the eccentric musician known as The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, who was a Creator/MercuryRecords labelmate of Bowie's at the turn of TheSeventies. Bowie eventually covered one of his songs, "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship", on his 2002 album ''Music/{{Heathen}}''.

* EvilIsSexy

* {{Adorkable}}: If nothing else, one must admire the poor fool for his tenaciousness.

* FunTShirt: He has a (then-popular in RealLife) "Frankie Says Relax" one, but decides not to wear it on the date because "I'm not advertising Frankie [Goes to Hollywood] [[IAmNotShazam until they tell us who he is]]."

* ArabianNightsDays: The basis for his stage costume and makeup. WordOfGod is that the initial inspiration was Peter O'Toole in ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'', but then went even more exotic.

* EyepatchOfPower: Some Bowie fans visualize Jack as wearing the outfit Bowie wore on an appearance on a Dutch music show, where he wore a patch to cover a nasty case of pinkeye. (Never mind that he didn't wear anything remotely similar to that getup on the actual Diamond Dogs tour...)

--> From ''Aladdin Sane'' (1973)