Love, legacy, and a line in the sand

Theirs is a love story that has stood the test of time, broken barriers and challenged old-fashioned stereotypes.

So, as we step into February – the official month of love, we take a look at the true impact of David Bowie and Iman’s love story, as well as his passion for race equality and diversity.

CREDIT: DAVID BOWIE ESTATE

In fact, little is known about the impact this blonde Bromley boy has had on the diaspora- and how he risked his career and reputation to stand up for black artists at a time when it was taboo –  and the fact Bowie helped to launch the late, great Luther Vandross as a solo artist.

As news reaches us that the Ziggy Stardust legend’s childhood home in Bromley has been restored and is being made open to the public by Heritage of London Trust, it has also made room for the little known story of how black culture impacted Bowie, and why he made it his mission to ensure black representation was a priority.

A close pal of Bowie told me: “When David lambasted MTV the lack of black artists getting shown on the channel, everyone took notice. Apart from having a nearly all black band in the seventies which was very unusual then he also helped discover and launch Luther Vandross as a solo artist. Another thing that comes to mind is that he and Iman participated in an anti -racist campaign launched by the Face magazine. “

So just how deep did his battle to stand up for African-American artists go?  In a famous 1983 interview, David Bowie confronted MTV VJ Mark Goodman regarding the network’s lack of diversity, questioning why so few Black artists were featured.

He challenged them and claimed the exclusion of Black artists a “frightening predicament.”   When  MTVs Mark Goodman explained they were trying to cater to a Midwest rock audience, Bowie argued they instead had a responsibility to be fair and inclusive.

Remarkably, he championed Lionel Ritchie and The Commodores to be played, calling it  a “frightening” omission.

Romance of all ages

Few would disagree, Bowie’s romance with Iman had the makings of a modern day Romeo and Juliet.

When the Somalian-American model and actress fell for the Bromley boy, heads swivelled. Even more so when their romance lasted, and even transcended his death as Iman said she still very much felt married even though David was no longer physically here.

“I still feel married,” Iman told PEOPLE in November 2021. “Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband, and I said, ‘No, he’s not my late husband. He’s my husband.’ Through my memory, my love lives.”

After getting set up on a blind date in 1990, the two fell in love and later tied the knot in 1992. In August 2000, they welcomed daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones.

The music industry mourned when Bowie died aged 69 on Jan. 10, 2016, but  Iman has kept their love alive with tributes to her late husband that has been a comfort to his army of fans.

He lost his battle to liver cancer, which he kept secret from the public, fighting  the disease for 18 months before his death, and just two days after releasing his final album, Blackstar.

Now his memory will fondly live on as his childhood home is being restored for the public. Located at 4 Plaistow Grove in Bromley, the property served as Bowie’s creative sanctuary from ages 8 to 20 (1955–1967). The property marks the site where Bowie’s musical journey began; it was here that he wrote his formative songs and regularly returned in the following years, as he wrote his breakthrough smash hit Space Oddity, which rocketed him to pop fame.

CREDIT: Heritage of London Iona Wolff

The heritage project, due for completion in late 2027, will restore the “two up, two down” railway workers’ cottage to its original early 1960s appearance. Working alongside curator Geoffrey Marsh (co-curator of the Victoria and Albert museum’s David Bowie Is exhibition – the definitive Bowie exhibition which was displayed globally) and using a never-before-seen archive, the restoration will recreate the interior layout exactly as it was when Bowie’s father commuted to work at charity Dr Barnado’s and his mother worked as a waitress. This immersive experience will center on Bowie’s 9 ft x 10 ft bedroom – the specific site where his “trailblazing spirit” was forged.

The project transcends simple bricks and mortar; it is a living continuation of Bowie’s legacy of “free creative experimentation.”

CREDIT: Heritage of London Trust

The house is near the Edwardian ‘Bowie bandstand’ – where the young musician performed in 1969 – which was restored by Bromley Council and Heritage of London Trust in 2024.

Geoffrey Marsh,  co-curator of the Victoria and Albert museum’s David Bowie Is exhibition, said: “It was in this small house, particularly in his tiny bedroom, that Bowie evolved from an ordinary suburban schoolboy to the beginnings of an extraordinary international stardom – as he said ‘I spent so much time in my bedroom. It really was my entire world.

CREDIT: Heritage of London Trust

CREDIT: DAVID BOWIE ESTATE

I had books up there, my music up there, my record player. Going from my world upstairs out onto the street, I had to pass through this no-man’s-land of the living room.’”