Following Death of Pop Icon David Bowie, Wife Iman Relies On Faith for Comfort

Jan 12, 2016 11:51 AM EST

Following the sudden death of pop icon David Bowie, his longtime wife, Iman, has relied on her faith for comfort.

As reported by the Gospel Herald, Bowie lost his 18-month battle with cancer on Sunday and passed away at the age of 69 surrounded by his family.

While Iman has yet to publicly comment on her husband's death, the 60-year-old model took to Twitter shortly after the news broke to write, "The struggle is real but so is God".

A short time earlier, she contemplated the brevity of life on social media, writing,"Sometimes you never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

The Hollywood power couple married in April 1992 in a private ceremony in Lausanne, and the wedding was later solemnized in June in Florence, Italy. In 2000, the couple's only child, Alexandria Zahra Jones, was born.  

"His actions spoke louder [than words]," Iman said of the "Space Oddity" singer during an interview with New York magazine's The Cut back in February 2011.

"We were dating for two weeks and I was coming from Paris and I got to L.A. at the airport and the doors open to the plane and I come out and I see all these people taking a picture of somebody. And he was standing there, flowers in hand, no security. That was when I knew he was a keeper. He didn't care if anyone saw."

In turn, Bowie told Hello magazine in 2000 that upon meeting his future wife, his "attraction to her was immediate and all-encompassing."

"That she would be my wife, in my head, was a done deal," he said. "I'd never gone after anything in my life with such passion in all my life. I just knew she was the one."

Duncan Bowie, David's son with his first wife, Angie, took to his Twitter account on Sunday to confirm the passing of his father, stunning the music industry.

He wrote: "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all."

A statement released by the "Ashes to Ashes" singer's publicist on Facebook read: "David Bowie died peacefully surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family's privacy during their time of grief."

Bowie's passing came a few days after his 69th birthday and just one week after the release of his 25th studio album, "Blackstar".

As earlier noted by the Gospel Herald, a song called "Lazarus" on that album includes some lyrics that some connect with some sort of foreknowledge that his death was close at hand.

Three days before his death, the "Lazarus" music video was released, in which he sang the words, "Look up here, I'm in heaven. I've got scars that can't be seen. I've got drama, can't be stolen. Everybody knows me now. Look up here, man, I'm in danger. I've got nothing left to lose."

The title of "Lazarus" refers to the New Testament character who was raised from the dead four days after he died by Jesus Christ.

Tony Visconti, the producer who worked with the singer to complete his final album, later released a statement saying it was deliberately created and timed as a "parting gift" for his fans.

In a statement on his Facebook page, he said: "He always did what he wanted to do. 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 added, "He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry."