UK Prime Minister David Cameron has paid tribute to David Bowie, who lost his battle with cancer on 10 January. The music icon battled with the disease for 18 months, before his son announced his death on Facebook on 11 January.

Cameron said: "Today we are mourning the loss of an immense British talent. Genius is an overused word, but I think musically, creatively, artistically, David Bowie was a genius. For someone my age, he provided a lot of the soundtrack of our lives. From the first time I heard Space Oddity to watching our athletes appear in those wonderful Olympics to the strains of Heroes."

He added: "We mourn the loss of a great talent, we think about his family and friends who've lost a loved one too early, and we also celebrate an immense British talent who has enriched all of our lives."

The prime minister also said that his favourite album by Bowie is the "brilliant" Hunky Dory. He joins a wide range of celebrities and politicians who have paid tribute to the singer, ranging from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, to hip-hop superstar Kanye West.

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