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ByMesfinFekadu The Associated Press NEW YORK David Bowie, the chameleon-like star who transformed the sound — and the look — of rock with his audacious creativ- ity and his sexually ambigu- ous makeup and costumes, died of cancer Sunday. Bowie, whose hits in- cluded "Space Oddity," "Fame," "Heroes" and "Let's Dance," died surrounded by family, representative Steve Martin said early Monday. The singer, who was 69, had fought cancer for 18 months. Long before alter egos and wild outfits became commonplace in pop, Bowie turned the music world up- side down with the release of the 1972 album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Star- dust and the Spiders from Mars" which introduced one of music's most famous personas. "Ziggy Stardust" was a concept album that imagined a rock star from outer space trying to make his way in the music world. The persona — the red- headed, eyeliner wearing Stardust — would become an enduring part of Bowie's legacy, and a touchstone for the way entertainers pack- aged themselves for years to come. Bowie's birthday was Friday, the same day as he released his new album, "Blackstar." A statement on social me- dia asked fan's to respect the family's privacy. No more details were provided. Born David Jones in London, the singer came of age in the early 1970s glam rock era. He had a striking androgynous look in his early days and was known for changing his appearance and sounds. After "Ziggy Stardust," the stuttering rock sound of "Changes" gave way to the disco soul of "Fame," co-written with John Len- non, to a droning collab- oration with Brian Eno in Berlin that produced "He- roes." He had some of his big- gest successes in the early 1980s with the bombastic "Let's Dance," and a massive American tour. Another one of his definitive songs was "Under Pressure," which he recorded with Queen; Va- nilla Ice would years later infamously use the song's hook for his smash hit "Ice Ice Baby." "My entire career, I've only really worked with the same subject matter," Bowie told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "The trou- sers may change, but the ac- tual words and subjects I've always chosen to write with are things to do with isola- tion, abandonment, fear and anxiety — all of the high points of one's life." Bowie lived in West Ber- lin in the late 1970s and Mayor Michael Mueller said Monday that "Heroes" became "the hymn of our then-divided city and its longing for freedom." Germany's Foreign Min- istry added Bowie was "now among heroes" and thanked him for "helping to bring down the wall." Bowie's performance of "Heroes" was also a high- light at a concert for res- cue workers after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. "What I'm most proud of is that I can't help but no- tice that I've affected the vo- cabulary of pop music. For me, frankly, as an artist, that's the most satisfying thing for the ego," Bowie said. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, but he didn't attend the ceremony. Madonna accepted for him and re- counted how a Bowie con- cert changed her life when she attended it as a teen- ager. David Byrne, of the art rockers Talking Heads, inducted Bowie and said he gave rock music a necessary shot in the arm. "Like all rock 'n' roll, it was visionary, it was taste- less, it was glamorous, it was perverse, it was fun, it was crass, it was sexy and it was confusing," Byrne said. Bowie kept a low profile in recent years after a re- ported heart attack in the 2000s. He made a moody al- bum three years ago called "The Next Day" — his first recording in a decade. "Blackstar," which earned positive reviews from crit- ics, represented yet another stylistic shift, as he gathered jazz players to join him. "David always did it his way and his way was the least obvious way," said Tony Visconti, Bowie's long- time producer. "He was a true genius who proved it over and over again through groundbreaking albums." Bowie released a mu- sic video on Friday for the new song "Lazarus," which shows a frail Bowie lying in bed and singing the track's lyrics. The song begins with the line: "Look up here, I'm in heaven." On the U.S. iTunes al- bums chart, which updates frequently throughout the day to reflect digital pur- chases from users, Bowie's "Blackstar" peaked at No. 1 on Monday. "Best of Bowie" was No. 2, and two other Bowie albums reached the Top 10. OBITUARY LegendarymusicianDavidBowiediesofcancerat69 KATHYWILLENS—THEASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Singer/songwriter David Bowie is seen at Madison Square Garden in New York. RICK BOWMER — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, walks in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge following church on Sunday near Burns, Ore. By Rick Bowmer The Associated Press BURNS, ORE. The leader of a small, armed group oc- cupying a national wild- life refuge in southeastern Oregon said Monday he and his followers are going through government docu- ments stored inside refuge buildings. Ammon Bundy told re- porters the documents will be used to "expose" how the government has discrimi- nated local ranchers who use federal land for cattle grazing. Bundy said the docu- ments would also help se- cure the release of Steven and Dwight Hammond, two area ranchers convicted of arson who returned to prison last week to serve longer sentences. The Ham- monds' case set off the oc- cupation of the Burns-area refuge on Jan. 2. Bundy said his group is not accessing government computers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, including personnel files. Afterthenewsconference, the group drove in a convoy to a ranch near the refuge and tore down a stretch of government-erected fence. The goal, according to the armed men, was to give the rancher access to the range that had been blocked for years.It'snotclearwherethe fence was located or which rancher sought the group's help. The refuge is adminis- tered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Megan Na- gel, spokeswoman with the agency, did not immedi- ately return calls for com- ment regarding the files or the broken fence. In Burns, about 30 miles from the refuge, schools reopened after being can- celed for a week over safety concerns due to the refuge standoff. Government offices in the area remained closed, including those of the Bu- reau of Land Management. BLM spokesman Randy Eardley said about 60 BLM employees were working from home. "There is a very clear threat to BLM employees," Eardley said, but he did not cite any specific threats. Ammon Bundy called his group's occupation of the refuge "peaceful" and said the armed men would not leave until the Hammonds are out of prison and abuses against ranchers are ex- posed. Bundy called the oc- cupation a "moral and righ- teous stand for the future of this country." A man representing hunters and anglers, who arrived in Oregon from New Mexico this weekend, con- demned the Bundy group at the news conference. "What I see is a lunatic fringe of extremists who have taken my land over," said New Mexico Wildlife Federation executive direc- tor Garrett VeneKlasen. The group represents sports- men, including hunters and anglers. Armed group says it has ac ce ss ed fi le s at r ef ug e OREGON STANDOFF By Julie Pace The Associated Press WASHINGTON President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address will unmistakably attempt to frame the choice facing Americans as they select his successor, doling out an optimistic vision of the country's future in con- trast with what he sees as the pessimism that's per- vasive in the Republican primary. Obama won't directly appeal for Americans to keep the Democratic Party in the White House for a third straight term. And he won't endorse a specific candidate in the 2016 race. But he will outline do- mestic and international priorities that build on steps he's taken during his two terms in office, a vi- sion certain to be more in line with Hillary Clinton and other Democrats than the GOP presidential can- didates. Tuesday's prime-time address marks a transi- tion for Obama — his last high-profile opportunity to speak to the public be- fore voting begins on Feb. 1. While Obama has so far succeeded in staving off lame duck status — largely through a series of aggres- sive executive actions — the nation's attention has been drawn inevitably to the presidential contest. Still, Obama's reliance on execu- tive powers means many of his actions could be erased by a Republican president. He's vowed to campaign aggressively for the Demo- cratic nominee, and his ad- ministration is seen as fa- voring Clinton, though the president won't formally back a candidate during his party's primary. The looming election means that prospects are low for significant legis- lative accomplishments between the Democratic president and Republican lawmakers. Acknowledg- ing that reality, Obama's speech will have few of the new policy proposals that typically fill the an- nual presidential address to Congress. Still, the president will tout progress on the econ- omy, which was plunging into the depths of recession when he took office and is now humming at a more comfortable pace. He's ex- pected to keep up his ap- peals for broader actions to address gun violence, reform the criminal justice system and formally ap- prove a sweeping Asia-Pa- cific trade pact. On foreign policy, he'll try to convince a public increasingly skep- tical of his foreign policy stewardship that he has a handle on the volatile Mid- dle East and is taking steps to prevent terrorism in the United States. The pomp and pageantry of the annual address in the House chamber will also have a splash of the gauzy nostalgia that's a hallmark of the Obama political op- eration. Among the guests sitting in first lady Michelle Obama's box will be Edith Childs, an elderly woman from South Carolina who first introduced Obama to the "Fired Up! Ready to go!" chant that became ubiquitous during his 2008 campaign. But the Obamas' guests will also reflect what's likely to be left undone or incomplete when the pres- ident leaves office. A chair in Mrs. Obama's box will be left empty to honor victims of gun vi- olence. Despite a rash of mass shootings during his tenure, Obama has been unable to get Congress to pass gun control legisla- tion, settling instead for more modest executive ac- tions, including steps an- nounced last week to ex- pand background checks for gun purchases. STATE OF THE UNION Obama's address seeks to frame 2016 race J. 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