A zoo named their baby penguin after David Bowie, just before the singer died

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens named its first “zoo baby of 2016” on 8 January after cultural icon, David Bowie.

The zoo had asked for suggestions on their Facebook page - the most popular were two generation-defining musicians: Elvis Presley and David Bowie.

So, not much for this baby penguin to live up to, then.

It eventually ended up being named after the Brixton-born musician as the zoo already had a king penguin named after The King.

2 days after hatching, its namesake passed away aged 69 following a “courageous” 18-month battle with cancer.

The zoo handlers posted their condolences online.

In an Instagram post, the caption read: “The penguin chick's name has since taken on added meaning. Keepers even played David Bowie music for the chick - who's gender won't be confirmed for several weeks.”