'Goodbye Starman': Memories of David Bowie

— -- David Bowie’s death on Sunday at the age of 69 prompted an outpouring of grief around the world. From Hollywood, to the Vatican, to the London Tube, to Low Earth Orbit, people have been taking to social media to share their condolences and memories of the legendary British singer.

Bowie was renowned for his eclectic nature, and the range of his influence is reflected in the spectrum of those mourning his loss. Since the singer's death, Spotify streams of his catalog have increased by 2,700 percent and Twitter has logged more than 4.3 million tweets mentioning the rocker, from actors and musicians to everyday fans.

A selection of some of the most poignant posts below:

Madonna

In a post to her Facebook page, pop singer Madonna expressed the sentiments shared by a countless number of Bowie’s fans.

“I never felt like I fit in growing up,” she wrote. “Like an oddball or a freak.”

Then, one night, she snuck out of her house to see Bowie in concert with a friend and was inspired by his onstage persona, ambiguous gender and sexuality, and overall willingness to be different. Madonna, who would chart her own path as a provocative artist with a larger-than-life personality, credits Bowie for the direction her own career took.

“I found him so inspiring and innovative,” Madonna continued. “Unique and provocative. A real Genius [sic]. His music was always inspiring but seeing him live set me off on a journey that for me I hope will never end.”

Yoko Ono