Paris immortalized late British music icon David Bowie by naming a street after him in the city’s southeast on what would have been his 77th birthday on Monday.
The inauguration of rue David-Bowie was first announced in 2020 by Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the 13th arrondissement. Bowie died of cancer in 2016.
The tribute celebrated Bowie’s first Paris performance in 1965 — his first outside the United Kingdom — and his lasting impact on music, fashion and culture. Bowie’s influence on music, with hits like “Space Oddity” and “Let’s Dance,” and on fashion, are now permanently recognized in the Paris city landscape.
The inauguration featured a concert and an exhibit.
The street is roughly between the Jardin des Plantes botanical gardens and the National Library. It is situated between two modern office buildings, including the headquarters of news publications Le Monde and L’Obs, opens onto avenue Pierre-Mendes-France and will connect to a future bridge linking the avenue to boulevard de l’Hopital, near Austerlitz train station and Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital.
The development reflects the ongoing transformation of the district, which now celebrates the legacy of Bowie along with other notable figures.