This morning, the music community stands united in mourning as we’ve learned that visionary musician, performing artist and all around entertainer David Bowie has passed on, leaving a legend of almost unfathomable depth in his wake. As of just last Friday, audiophiles, fans and musicians alike have been a buzz with the with the release of his Bowie’s latest work, ‘★ (Blackstar)’, marking a milestone of 25 studio albums.

Released on Bowie’s 69th birthday, the album stands as a tribute to his legend in one parting gift to his fans before the man who fell to earth ascended into the great beyond after a silent, 18 month battle with cancer. This morning, UK Record Imprint Rough Trade took to Twitter to announce that all proceeds from Bowie’s albums in Jaunary will be donated to the Non Profit foundation Cancer Research UK in their dedicated research for a cure.

More than a musician and recording artist, David Bowie lives on as a multi talented entertainer who touched the lives and influenced the trades of artists across musical genres, artistic mediums and generations. From starring roles in iconic films such as the ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ and 80’s cult classic ‘Labrynth’ and a cameo in Zoolander, collaborations with equally esteemed artists like Iggy Pop, Queen, John Lennon, Mick Jagger and Giorgio Moroder , touring with Nine Inch Nails Bowie has left a larger than life imprint in our ears and eyes while finding a permanent place in our hearts. An enigmatic, outrageous character, Bowie perpetually pushed the boundaries of imagination with his ever evolving need to create.

Whether known to fans or not, his legacy has been propelled forward, forever ingrained within the fabric of the 21st century, while his legacy lives on. Bowie will be forever immortalized in the computer game Omikron that he produced the soundtrack for while Skrillex’s second artist album Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is an ode to Bowie’s album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). Just last Fall, Bowie premiered the incredibly well received off Broadway production of Lazarus at the New York Theater Workshop. Starring Dexter and Six Feet Under standout Michael C Hall in near perfect parallel to Bowie himself, Lazarus crossed another milestone off of Bowie’s bucketlist as the first stage show he’s scored.Lazarus runs until January 19th.And let’s not forget, Bowie received a little old thing called the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award almost a decade ago in 2006. Regardless of the last time you’ve listened to the man, no one can deny his creative genius or the lasting power of his craft. Today, the world is missing a true visionary; today, we aspire to create in his honor.

“The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.”