Debbie Harry has paid tribute to David Bowie, saying Blondie would not be where they are today if it wasn’t for him.
Blondie toured with Iggy Pop in the late ’70s when Bowie was playing keyboard for the punk singer. It is this tour which Harry credits as giving her band the break they needed.
In a statement published by Rolling Stone, she says: “I can’t say enough things about David Bowie to show how much I love him. When the ‘Low’ album was out and Iggy Pop was about to tour, David played keyboards in Iggy’s band. They asked Blondie to open for them, and, as they say, the rest is history. Without this visionary and his friend Iggy Pop where would Blondie be today? Silly question and one that can’t be answered really, but there is no doubt in my mind that Bowie played a big part in our future successes.”
Harry also asked, “Who doesn’t love Bowie?” describing him as “a visionary artist, musician, actor, a completely renaissance man.”
Bowie passed away on Sunday (January 10) following what his official statement describes as “a courageous 18 month battle with cancer”.
Reports have since suggested that he “died from liver cancer” after “surviving six heart attacks”.
See more tributes to David Bowie here.