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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Carla Jenkins

Remembering when David Bowie took home a Barrowland's star in his pocket

Happy birthday David Bowie! The Let's Dance star would have been 74 today - and fans have celebrated across the world as two new singles were released posthumously by the rocker.

Bowie tragically lost an 18 month-long battle to cancer and died on 10 January 2016, just two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar.

As we look back on the legend that was Bowie in all his forms, we of course have to remember the time that he left with a bit of Glasgow in his pocket.

In the midst of his Earthling tour following the album release in 1997, Bowie played at the legendary Barrowland Ballroom.

Now, as many music lovers in the city will know, one of the venue's charms are the stars that are stuck across the ceiling of the hall.

As Glasgow legend has it, Bowie reached out during rehearsals and caught a decorative star that was falling off the ceiling.

According to Tom Shields in 111 Places in Glasgow that you Shouldn't Miss, Bowie reportedly kept the star as a souvenir in the bathroom of his Paris flat.

After that, the Barrowland star became a tradition, and Shields says that management decorated the dressing room with 'celestial facsimiles for visiting performers to steal'.

Have you got any good memories of David Bowie in the city? Let us know!

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