David Bowie Day Slated As January 20 In New York By Mayor Bill de Blasio: The Thin White Duke Lives On

David Bowie’s spirit will live on all over the world through his music, but Bowie will forever be remembered on his own special day in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio has officially slated January 20 as “David Bowie day.”

As Deadline Hollywood noted, as this announcement came at 5 p.m., it only left a few hours for fans to celebrate in New York. That said, most were still excited that January 20 will live on as a day to remember the famed star.

Mayor @BilldeBlasio proclaims January 20 as #DavidBowie Day in New York City. pic.twitter.com/hmpbpLB15h

— NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) January 20, 2016

Commissioner Luis Castro said the following in a statement to Deadline Hollywood.

“In an iconic city like New York, it is only fitting to celebrate the life of David Bowie, a global icon who made New York his home. Among the most influential and talented artists of our time, Bowie’s music, his art, his unique creative vision have left a mark on the lives of generations of fans. Today, we are proud to pay tribute to this legend.”

This news comes just in time for the final performance of Bowie’s play, Lazarus, to take its final bow. The show, whose name is a tribute to Bowie’s famous film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, is a show that incorporated Bowie’s songs to weave together themes. Bowie also composed original and new songs to accompany the show.

Back in November, Belgian director Ivo van Hove said this to the New York Times about the off-Broadway show.

“‘Lazarus’ focuses on Newton as he remains on Earth, a man unable to die, his head soaked in cheap gin, and haunted by a past love. We follow Newton through the course of a few days where the arrival of another lost soul might set him free. That’s the best I can do.”

The director, who was also a close friend of Bowie’s, recently remembered the last time he saw the entertainer. The last time the director saw Bowie was in December, when the performer had come to New York City to greet fans outside of the theater for the show’s premiere.

“It was written that he looked so well, so healthy. But behind the podium he collapsed from exhaustion. It was then that I realised that it may be the last time I would see him.”

Of Bowie’s cancer, Van Hove said the following.

“I have known for about a year. We began collaborating on our show, Lazarus, and at some point he took me to one side to say that he wouldn’t always be able to be there due to his illness. He told me he had cancer, liver cancer. The cast didn’t know all that time, and I suspect that the musicians with whom he recorded Blackstar didn’t know either.”

David Bowie’s final album, “Blackstar,” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart https://t.co/j2TiEa1CvM pic.twitter.com/J8J2VKcn9g

— billboard (@billboard) January 18, 2016

Blackstar, Bowie’s last album, was released on his 69th birthday to rave reviews.

Entertainment Weekly called the album a “physical experience.”

“Blackstar feels so vital, and arguably better than anything he’s done in years. There are more than enough narratives to follow down the rabbit hole here… Most of all, though, it’s the kind of album that works beautifully as a physical experience — an all-senses headphone surrender to the sound of an artist who is older and almost definitely wiser but still fantastically, singularly himself.”

Bowie released his final video, which was filmed days before he died, for the single called “Lazarus.” The video features a frail Bowie singing from his metaphorical death bed. In the video, he stands up for his fans one last time, and dances and struts in a fashion that belongs to Bowie.

On the track, he sings: “By the time I got to New York, I was living like a King. Til I used up all my money.”

[Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images]