The two wanted their relationship to be kept as private as they could. The way they saw it, their marriage was personal and only to be shared with each other – not for the general public. Aside from the rare public happenings, the couple kept the papers and their private lives separate.
One of the only times they were photographed together as a couple was in a Vogue magazine shoot, after their daughter, Alexandria (nicknamed Lexi) was born in 2000. When it came to parenting, Iman said Bowie was “contained, sensible” but also “relaxed and fun.” She, on the other hand, is the disciplinarian. Sweetly, even after 20 years of marriage, Iman told Bazaar that she was still fascinated with her husband.
Immediate and All-Encompassing
Bowie and Iman met for the first time at a dinner party in 1990. Iman had just retired from modeling and was introduced to her future husband by her hairdresser. Bowie stated emphatically that it was indeed love at first sight. He said his attraction to her was “immediate and all-encompassing,” and that he couldn’t sleep due to the anticipation of their first date.
For Bowie, getting married was a done deal. Iman happened to have a strong impact on the otherwise smooth Bowie. According to Iman, the singer told her he was so nervous when, after the first date, he asked her to have “tea” with him. “He doesn’t drink tea; he never drinks tea. He had coffee,” Iman later recalled of their first date.
Actions That Speak Louder Than Words
Within a couple of weeks, Iman and Bowie were in a serious relationship. She said that his actions spoke louder than words. Iman described the time she arrived at the Los Angeles airport. The doors opened, she came out of the plane, and all these people were taking photos of him, he was just standing there, greeting her with flowers in hand, without any security.
She knew then that he was a keeper, and they got married two years after their first date. Their first public appearance was at an AIDS benefit in 1990. Iman was still hesitant, though, about getting married to a rockstar. In a 2004 interview with The Guardian, she said that she “fell in love with David Jones. I did not fall for David Bowie, that's just his persona."
The Public Had No Idea
Sadly, Bowie passed away in 2016, two short days after his 69th birthday and the Blackstar album release. The singer died in his New York City apartment, 18 months after he had been diagnosed with liver cancer, without the public being aware.
Before his death, Bowie worked with Belgian theater director Ivo van Hove for his Off-Broadway musical 'Lazarus.' According to van Hove, Bowie couldn't attend some of the rehearsals due to the declining situation of his health. Still, he tried his best to keep working throughout.
After His Death…
Following his passing, thousands of fans gathered at impromptu street memorials in cities all over the world. After the news of his passing, sales from all his albums and singles soared. Bowie was determined to not have a funeral. Instead, his body was cremated in New Jersey. As specified in his will, his ashes were dispersed in Bali, Indonesia, in a Buddhist ceremony.
Even Bowie’s close collaborators were unaware of his diagnosis. Iman avoided any public talk on the subject. She still honors their love on social media and posts about Bowie. She also vowed to never remarry. “I mentioned my husband the other day with a friend, and they said to me, ‘You mean your late husband?’ I said, no, he will always be my husband.”