Two of the greats in the history of contemporary music since the 1970/80s, both showmen, both fearless in their experimentation, stretching the boundaries of rock, pop, call it what you will. Both with voices one recognised in seconds, writing songs that could cover any subject from politics to sex in a way that felt entirely committed, fresh and often provocative.
At times like this, of course, their lives are remembered not just in words but in images. And in Prince and Bowie you have two of the most distinctive characters visually that rock has ever produced, each chameleon-like in their exploration of different personae, each of which changed with and then embodied the feel and rhythm of their music perfectly. They will be sorely missed, but the archive of images they leave behind means their legacy will live on as vividly for how they matched appearance to performance as for the peerless music they made.