It was the beginning of 2016 — January 8 to be exact. I had a tattoo appointment booked to get a crying anime eye, something I had wanted for a long time. I realized that morning when I woke up that it was Bowie’s birthday, and not just any birthday but his 69th birthday. As someone who finds the number 69 hilarious, I asked my tattoo artist if they could whip up a quick tattoo to celebrate such a legendary day. They obliged and placed a heart with “Bowie” inside it directly beside the eye.

The next night, Saturday the 9th, I went to a Bowie themed dance party at The Fox Cabaret. I donned a velvet jumpsuit and applied the full Aladdin Sane makeup on to pay homage to his iconic style. I danced the night away to “Modern Love,” “Fame,” and “Queen Bitch” in celebration of my idol. I woke up the next morning still in my Aladdin Sane makeup, my new tattoos still covered by the second skin, to the news that the legend himself had passed away. I cried my makeup off and literally ripped the bandaid off of my bowie tattoo, now so conveniently placed beside the crying eye. The most poetically sad and yet truly apt morning of my life.

I’ve been so lucky to get to see most of my favourite musicians play live. Unfortunately, Bowie did not make that list for me, but he lives on in my heart and on my skin forever.