Dennis Davis dies: Bowie drummer dead

Drummer Dennis Davis has died, following a battle with lung cancer that was reported in March. He was best known for his work with David Bowie, and longtime producer Tony Visconti shared the news in a note on Facebook.

“Dennis Davis has passed away,” Visconti wrote. “He was one of the most creative drummers I have ever worked with. He came into David Bowie’s life when we recorded some extra tracks for Young Americans and stayed with us through Scary Monsters and beyond.”

Davis also appeared on Bowie’s Station to Station, Low, “Heroes,” Stage, and Lodger. Aside from the Thin White Duke, his other collaborators include Jermaine Jackson, Roy Ayers, Stevie Wonder, and Iggy Pop, for whom he played on his Berlin album The Idiot.

As a drummer, Davis studied with jazz musicians Max Roach and Elvin Jones in the early ’70s, and in his later life he played with Bowie on live tours in the early 2000s. The news comes just three months after Bowie died on January 10.

After the star’s death, Davis called into SiriusXM and spoke about working with the musician. “He was up for anything,” he told SiriusXM. Hear the whole segment below.

See Visconti’s full note.