Rock icon David Bowie got a new honor today—a Paris street named for him, with the ceremony taking place on what would have been his 77th birthday. Bowie died died in 2016.
The artist has a strong cult following in France, and drew visual inspiration from French avant-garde theater. In addition to the street naming, presided over by the mayor of the 13th arrondissement, there is a David Bowie exhibition in the local town hall.
Rue David Bowie is a new street, created as part of a major makeover of the neighborhood which also includes modernist university library Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand. The street, about 50 metres long,was previously known to city planners as “VoieDZ/13.” It’s believed to be the world’s only street named for Bowie.