A new BBC documentary has revealed that David Bowie only learned his cancer was terminal three months before his death, contradicting popular belief that his final single, Lazarus, was a deliberate farewell to fans.
The film, David Bowie: The Last Five Years, airing on BBC2 on Saturday, shows that Bowie was told his treatment was ending while filming the music video for Lazarus. Director Johan Renck said the video's hospital bed imagery was inspired by the biblical story of Lazarus, not Bowie's illness, as the concept was developed a week before the diagnosis.
Despite the prognosis, Bowie continued working intensely. Ivo Van Hove, director of Bowie's musical Lazarus, recalled the singer discussing a sequel just weeks before his death. Producer Francis Whately noted that Bowie's workload during this period rivaled his early 1970s output, with many collaborators unaware of his condition.
The documentary also explores Bowie's complex relationship with fame and includes contributions from producer Robert Fox and long-time collaborator Tony Visconti. It delves into the making of his final albums, The Next Day and Blackstar, as well as the musical Lazarus.
Bowie died on 10 January 2016, two days after his 69th birthday, having kept his illness private. The documentary challenges the narrative that he was knowingly crafting a final artistic statement, instead portraying a man fighting to create until the end.
