David Bowie is to be immortalised in a new waxwork, Madame Tussauds has announced on what would have been the late musician’s 75th birthday.
It will be the London tourist attraction’s second model of the influential singer-songwriter. The first was unveiled in 1983 during the height of his Let’s Dance period.
On Saturday, Madame Tussauds also released previously unseen images from Bowie’s original sitting with artists.
On what would have been his 75th birthday, we are SO excited to reveal that we’re making a brand new figure of David Bowie ⚡️Using measurements and images from his original sitting in 1983, the figure will join our BRAND NEW music zone, launching later this year 🎉 pic.twitter.com/Gi3ExkWKiz
— Madame Tussauds London (@MadameTussauds) January 8, 2022
He met museum artists in June 1983 to provide hundreds of precise measurements and hair and skin colour references, Madame Tussauds said.
The pictures from the sitting show Bowie dressed in a white button-down shirt and pinstripe trousers as artists measure his facial structure and replicate the mismatched colours of his eyes.
These measurements and details will help inform the new figure, which is due to be unveiled in March.
Tim Waters, general manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: “David Bowie is one of music’s greats.
“On what would have been his 75th birthday the most fitting tribute for Madame Tussauds London to give to our old friend is the creation of a new figure.
“His music inspired the masses and, for so many, changed the way they viewed themselves, and we hope remembering him here will ensure that it continues to do so for centuries to come.
“We felt privileged to work with him back in the 80s and are just as honoured to work with his estate now to continue the legacy of this truly outstanding music career.”
Bowie, one of the most influential and revered musicians of the 20th century, died with liver cancer on January 10 2016, two days after his 69th birthday.
Celebrations for what would have been his 75th birthday include a pop-up shop that launched in October at 14 Heddon Street in London, which is pictured on the front of Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.
A sister shop is also running in Bowie’s adopted home town of New York, at 150 Wooster Street, close to where he lived in his final years and created his last album Blackstar.
Both shops opened 75 days before what would have been the singer’s 75th birthday, and will remain open until late January.
Earlier this week, Warner Chappell Music acquired the publishing rights to Bowie’s back catalogue in a deal reported to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The agreement covers songs from 26 studio albums released during the British artist’s lifetime, as well as the posthumously released album Toy and his two albums with the band Tin Machine.