NEW YORK—Nile Rodgers suspected a couple of years ago that his old friend David Bowie might have health problems, but had no idea he was terminally ill.
“I was being honored by my charity (the We Are Family Foundation) and they thought the most appropriate person to give me the award was Bowie,” said Rodgers, who produced Bowie’s platinum-selling “Let’s Dance” album.
“And he did give me the award, but he had to give it by film. His speech was lovely, charming and really, really big-hearted. But I could see that he wasn’t well.”
Bowie died Sunday night at age 69 after an 18 month battle with cancer, news that stunned his millions of admirers and inspired worldwide grieving. Though he rarely made public appearances in recent years, Bowie had just released a new album, “Blackstar” on Friday, his birthday. Few suspected he had only days to live.
