Gary Oldman Reveals David Bowie’s Final Thoughts On Music

In a beautiful and moving tribute to the late David Bowie at Wednesday night’s Brit Awards, actor Gary Oldman shared his longtime friend’s final commentary on music and the impact it had on his life.

“In recent years David sparingly spoke about music and his process, but in one of these rare instances, he graciously and elegantly expounded,” said Oldman. “‘Music has given me over 40 years of extraordinary experiences. I can’t say that life’s pains or more tragic episodes have been diminished because of it, but it has allowed me so many moments of companionship when I have been lonely, and sublime means of communications when I have wanted to touch people. It has been my doorway of perception and the house that I live in.’”

Oldman, who accepted the BRIT Icon Award on behalf of Bowie and his family, continued, “Over his career, David challenged and changed our understanding of the medium, whether in music or life, he emphasized originality, experimentation, exploration, and in his very unique way, he also reminded us to never take ourselves too seriously.”

Australian singer Lorde – who Bowie once called “the sound of tomorrow” – closed the tribute with a performance of “Life on Mars?”, backed by Bowie’s longtime band.

Watch the full tribute below.