David Bowie passed away from liver cancer on January 19, 2016

He was a beloved and highly respected songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter, and actor. It is less well known that in the mid-70s, he was an avid student of karate.

He appeared on the Dinah Shore show on January 3, 1976, with his instructor, Shotokan karate black belt Dwain Vaughns. Uniquely, Bowie likened karate to mime. Vaughn described Bowie as one of his best students, and the pair did a demo together.

Bowie makes a unique demo partner, giggling at the mention of a groin strike, and noting that his defense of choice against a choke is “scream very loudly.”

While guest Henry Winkler was impressed, Shore’s friend Nancy Walker nearly leaves because it was “too violent” after viewing a kata.

For Bowie fans, this was The Thin White Duke in good form. Bowie’s appearance on the show was to promote his role in Nicolas Roeg’s film The Man Who Fell to Earth. But it contains an amazing version of Bowie’s “Stay” that holds up excellently decades later.

This is, in short, a beautiful little slice of Bowie.

Tony Visconti, the producer who worked with Bowie to complete his final album, Blackstar, has released a statement via Facebook saying it was deliberately created and timed as a parting gift for his fans.

“He always did what he wanted to do,” wrote Visconti. “And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life – a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn’t, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry.”