Take That’s Howard Donald has named his newborn son Bowie.
The singer and his wife Katie Halil welcomed their new arrival on Tuesday (12Jan16), with Howard taking to his Twitter three days later to share the happy news with fans. It appears the baby has been named in honour of late musician David Bowie, who passed away on Sunday (10Jan16) following a secret 18-month battle with cancer.
“Bowie Taylan Donald came into this world on Tues 12th Jan,” Howard posted to fans. “Mummy and daddy suffering sleep deprivation but life is wonderful, he is divine.”
Bowie is Howard’s third child, and his first with wife of 12 months Katie.
The tribute was the latest in a string of A-list gestures. Elton John also made sure he included David Bowie in a recent gig.
For his performance at the Wiltern Theatre in LA earlier this week (end15Jan16), Elton belted out a version of David’s ‘60s hit Space Oddity. Speaking to the crowd the singer honoured his late friend by revealing he had David to thank for his collaborations with long-time producer Gus Dudgeon.
“The songs were very classical orientated,” he recalled. “I didn’t know who I wanted to use. Then I heard a record which blew me away. It’s called Space Oddity.” He then dedicated his version to “the Starman himself”.
The Simspons have also included a nod to the Rebel Rebel singer, as well as late actor Alan Rickman who also passed away from cancer at 69 this week (end15Jan16). In an upcoming episode animators parody two of Alan’s biggest roles, in Love Actually and the Harry Potter movies, and David’s song All The Young Dudes blares out at one point.
A tribute concert for David to be held at New York's Carnegie Hall has also been planned, with a second date added as the first sold out so quickly. Fans are also calling for the UK’s £20 note to be changed to feature David’s face. Simon Mitchell is spearheading the campaign, which others can sign in support at Change.org.
