A decade after the world lost music legend David Bowie, his close friend Gary Oldman has shared poignant and surprisingly humorous details of their final conversation.
A Final, Fitting Farewell
David Bowie died on January 10, 2016, just two days after releasing his final album, Blackstar. In the days before his passing from liver cancer, he maintained a touching routine with actor Gary Oldman. The pair, who had been friends for years, would connect every Sunday via Skype while Bowie was living in New York.
Oldman recently recounted their last exchange, describing it as "so wonderfully David." As they ended the call, Bowie struggled with the technology. "He’s pressing the button, and he said, ‘Alright, talk to you next week’ or whatever," Oldman recalled. "And he went, ‘Go away, go away.’ And he pressed the button, and he went ‘f--- off’." Oldman noted the blunt farewell was perfectly "on the nose" for the rockstar.
Dignity and Dark Humour in the Face of Illness
Oldman also offered insight into how Bowie handled his diagnosis. The star broke the news to his friend in an email that balanced gravity with his signature wit. "I’ve got some good news, I’ve got some bad news,’ he wrote: ‘the bad news is I’ve got the big C’." The email continued, "‘The good news is I got my cheekbones back,’" a line Oldman found "really dark and really sweet and funny." He said Bowie faced his illness with immense "dignity, grace and humour."
A Friendship Forged in Awe
Despite both being icons in their fields, Oldman was a long-time admirer of Bowie. Their friendship began backstage at a play, but it took years for the reality to sink in. Oldman described a pivotal moment on a yacht near Mustique. Before heading to dinner, he walked through the boat to find Bowie, barefoot in shorts, casually strumming and singing Space Oddity.
"He looked up at me and said he was 'just messing about'," Oldman remembered. That simple, unguarded instant was the first time the actor truly thought, 'You’re David Bowie.' Even after years of friendship, he remained awestruck by the man behind the monumental persona.
A decade on, these intimate glimpses reveal not just the star's final days, but the enduring humanity and sharp wit of a man the world still misses.
