It’s been 10 years since David Bowie’s tragic passing and today would have marked his 79th birthday.

David Bowie died a decade ago (Image: Getty)

The world lost music legend David Bowie on January 16, 2016, aged 69, following a battle with liver cancer. The Heroes singer actually hid his cancer from everyone apart from a very select few before he passed away, a new biography has unveiled. The Brixton singer was diagnosed with the illness two years before his untimely death and was told the cancer was inoperable in November 2015, which inspired his final record, Blackstar. Bowie kept his deteriorating health private and underwent chemotherapy while recording his final album. However, according to the book, he hid his bald head by wearing a cap.

David Bowie battled cancer before his passing (Image: Getty)

His cancer also inspired his stage play, Lazarus, according to the new biographer, Alexander Larman, in his book Lazarus: The Second Coming of David Bowie, which was released earlier this month.

The book, which shines a light on Bowie’s final months, also claims the megastar suffered major health issues 10 years before he succumbed to cancer, including six heart attacks.

The star’s producer, Tony Visconti, who worked with him for 50 years, said: “I remember going to his offices and a girl who worked there opened the door, and she had been crying. Her eyes were red.

“She led me into this small room with a small table and a seat on either side and says ‘David will be with you in a minute’.

“David then sits in front of me, and he has a woolly cap on. The first thing I notice is that he has no eyebrows. I went, ‘I know what that is. It is chemotherapy. I cried my eyes out.”He added: “He has been my lifetime friend since the 60s. I started mumbling things like ‘don’t worry, we will get through this. We will get the best doctors in the world. You’re strong. You are going to get over this’. I just started blabbering sh*t like that and he comes to my side of the table and he starts hugging me. Given what he knew about his own health, I think he wanted to make the best album of his life.”