While the legendary performer David Bowie wore many hats throughout his eclectic career, his role of “father” that had a deeply profound effect on his life. The Under Pressure singer often spoke candidly about fatherhood, and his love for his two children, son Duncan and daughter Lexi.
On the ten-year anniversary of Bowie’s untimely death from cancer, we’re taking a look at the lives of his two children, what they’ve said about their famed father, and how they’re continuing to honour his legacy.
David and Angie Bowie shared one son over the course of their ten-year marriage
David Bowie's eldest child, Duncan Jones
The Rebel Rebel hitmaker married model Angie Bowie in 1970, and the pair shared one child over their ten-year marriage: son Duncan Jones (b. 1971). Duncan, now 54, is an acclaimed director – a love that Bowie helped foster in his early years.
“He taught me, in a lovely way, the basics of making a movie, like how to do storyboards, write a script, do the lighting…” Duncan told The Mail on Sunday. “I’d make these little sets and I’d set up backstage with my Star Wars and Smurfs toys. While Dad would go on stage I’d be making my little movies.”
Duncan has been estranged from his mother since his teens, adding that she “didn’t have a very positive effect” on his upbringing. He went on to direct hit films like Moon (2009) starring Sam Rockwell, as well as the Jake Gyllenhaal-led Source Code (2011).
Duncan and Bowie together in 2009
David and Duncan had a special bond
The director married his wife, photographer Rodene Ronquillo, in 2012, and the pair share a son and a daughter, born in 2016 and 2018 respectively. Although Bowie’s first grandchild was born after his death in 2016, Duncan revealed that he got to share the news with his father, as well as share a special screening of his upcoming film, Warcraft.
“He was always interested in things I was working on. So I showed him what I was working on,” Duncan told The Daily Beast in 2016. “He was happy that I was doing the thing that I enjoy doing in my life.”
Duncan reflected on his father’s passing on The Nerdist podcast, sharing, "He was a big gravitational pull on my life as far as who I saw myself as, how I separated myself from the world and how I saw myself.”
Iman and Bowie were set up on a blind date
David and Iman's love story
Following his divorce from Angie in 1980, Bowie met his future wife, model Iman, a decade later, when the pair were set up on a blind date by Bowie’s hairdresser, who told them he was throwing a “big party”.
“We went to the restaurant…and there was not a big birthday party,” Iman told ELLE Magazine. “It was just me and David, and the hairdresser and his boyfriend.”
The date was a success, and Iman also reflected on a heartfelt moment she shared with Bowie afterwards, where he got down on his knees to tie her shoes as the pair walked home. The power couple were married in 1992, up until David’s death in 2016.
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Bowie and Iman announced the birth of their daughter with a HELLO! exclusive
David's eldest daugher, Alexandria Zahra Jones
The pair went on to have one daughter, Alexandria Zahra “Lexi” Jones (b. 2000), with Bowie also becoming stepfather to Iman’s daughter Zulekha Haywood (b. 1978), who she shares with NBA player Spencer Haywood.
Bowie and Iman announced their daughter’s birth with a HELLO! world exclusive, with Iman candidly sharing, "We've always been very close, but if it's possible we've been drawn even closer. Overnight, our lives have been enriched beyond belief."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Front Row about becoming a father at 53, Bowie confessed that “age doesn’t bother me. It’s the lack of years left that weighs far heavier on me.
“There's such a cloud of melancholia about knowing I'm going to have to leave my daughter on her own. It just doubles me up in grief.”
Lexi is also a musician
Bowie's daughter is following her father's footsteps
Bowie’s daughter seems to be following in her father’s footsteps, having released her debut album Xandri in 2025. In response to comparisons to her father’s musical legacy, Lexi published a heartfelt poem on her Instagram, writing “I’m the daughter of a legend, but I’m more than just his name.”
The 25-year-old published a tender post to mark what would have been Bowie’s 79th birthday on the 8th January, accompanied by the caption “Da big 79 today. Happy birthday pops, miss ya!”