Gervais: Bowie hid illness in 'funny emails', weeks before death

Ricky Gervais says he was exchanging “the funniest emails” with David Bowie two weeks before his death, but the singer kept the state of his health a secret.

Speaking to Radio 5 live’s Colin Paterson, Gervais said he sent David Bowie an email to tell him how much he loved his new album Blackstar and received “this funny little thing” back.

“(His death) was a total surprise. I was emailing him two weeks before, so he must have known. He kept it from everyone. What dignity. He was an amazing man,” he said.

The pair “sort of became pen pals” after Bowie became a fan of The Office, and the singer later made a cameo on Gervais’ series Extras.