David Bowie family plans private ceremony

David Bowie's family said Thursday it planned a private ceremony to celebrate the late rock legend as it honored his wishes to remain discreet about his death.

"The family of David Bowie is currently making arrangements for a private ceremony celebrating the memory of their beloved husband, father and friend," said a statement on Bowie's official Facebook page.

"They ask once again that their privacy be respected at this most sensitive of times.

"We are overwhelmed by and grateful for the love and support shown throughout the world."

Bowie, one of pop culture's most influential figures whose career took him from glam rock to soul to science fiction films, died Sunday after an undisclosed 18-month battle with cancer.

Few other details have emerged. Representatives for the London-born artist declined comment on a report in Britain's Daily Mirror that said his body was cremated in New York, his adopted home, immediately after his death.

People close to him said that Bowie wanted to keep his illness away from the glare of 24-hour social media.

He instead released a final album, "Blackstar," on his 69th birthday on Friday in what in retrospect was an elaborate artistic statement on his death and nearly half-century career.

In the words of photographer Annie Leibovitz, "he really curated his death."

- Huge interest in tributes -

Bowie's death has triggered an outpouring of mourning, with fans around the world leaving flowers, candles and glitter on sites associated with the artist and leading musicians including Elton John and Madonna covering his songs live.

"It is important to note that while the concerts and tributes planned for the coming weeks are all welcome, none are official memorials organized or endorsed by the family," the Facebook statement said.

"Just as each and every one of us found something unique in David's music, we welcome everyone's celebration of his life as they see fit," it said.

The most prominent tribute is planned at Carnegie Hall in New York and will feature artists including Cyndi Lauper -- whose flamboyant appearance in the 1980s showed a clear influence of Bowie -- and Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, who brought a broader audience to alternative rock in the early 1990s.

The concert, long in the making, was coincidentally announced just moments before news of Bowie's death on Monday.

Tickets sold out within an hour and resale prices are expected to be huge, although few appeared for sale openly amid a recent crackdown by New York authorities on scalpers.

Michael Dorf, the organizer of the event and owner of City Winery, an intimate New York concert venue, wrote on Twitter without explanation to expect an announcement shortly about the tribute.

The Carnegie Hall tribute will feature a house band with Tony Visconti, Bowie's longtime producer.

Visconti also plays bass in a Bowie tribute band called Holy Holy, which went ahead Tuesday and Wednesday with shows in Toronto that turned into a hard-rock mourning session for the fallen star.

- Bowie breaks video record -

Interest in Bowie's music has soared since his death, with "Blackstar" expected to top the weekly charts in both the United States and Britain.

"Blackstar" remained the most downloaded album on Thursday on iTunes in most Western countries, although it slipped to number two in Japan.

Bowie also posthumously broke a record for his music videos.

Vevo, which provides videos licensed by music labels on YouTube and other platforms, said Bowie's videos scored 51 million views on Monday, the day his death was announced.

It marked Vevo's highest number of views ever in a single day for an artist's catalog, wresting the record from fellow British artist Adele, whose videos were seen 36 million times on October 23 when she released her long-awaited song "Hello."

The most-watched Bowie video, with more than 20 percent of the total views, was "Lazarus" off "Blackstar."

Released two days before his death, the "Lazarus" video was afterward seen in a whole new light as Bowie appears in a hospital bed, culminating with the line, "I'll be free / Just like that bluebird."