David Bowie statue: Sculptor promises 'something special'

David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust phase, a persona unveiled in Aylesbury

An artist has been chosen to design a statue of singer David Bowie in a town the star considered his musical home.

Bowie unveiled two albums and his Ziggy Stardust persona during a series of gigs at Aylesbury's Friars music venue in the early 1970s.

Sculptor Andrew Sinclair has promised that the Buckinghamshire memorial will be "something special".

Fundraising for the statue is still under way and it is not yet known when designs will be revealed.

Mr Sinclair has admitted he is under a lot of pressure to get his Bowie design right. He said: "He was there all my life. He was like a friend.

'Holding a microphone'

"I wanted to create something that encompasses his career and his life, with Ziggy Stardust as the main focus. But, at the same time, he's too big a character to just make him Ziggy.

"Historically the design itself has to resonate through the ages."

Andrew Sinclair's work can be seen in public places including the Royal Box at Ascot and Epsom Racecourse.

Mr Sinclair added: "There's an opportunity to use colour in the sculpture. He'll be holding a microphone but his actual position will be unusual. I want to produce something special, that's unique to Aylesbury and something people can be proud of."

Bowie, one of the most influential musicians of the modern era, died of cancer in January at the age of 69.

His style changed through the decades and was well known for creating his flamboyant, glam rock alter ego Ziggy Stardust, which he unveiled at Aylesbury Friars.

Bowie adopted many guises throughout his career, his best known is probably his glam rock alter ego created for the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, in 1972.

Tracks from two of his most iconic albums, "Hunky Dory" and "The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" were also given their debuts at the venue.

The local council has already given the go-ahead for the monument to be built under the Market Square arches.

But it said that no taxpayers' money was available for the project so organisers will have to raise the £150,000 needed through grants and an online petition.