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When pop star David Bowie died from cancer in 2016, he was widely mourned by music and fashion fans alike.
Now devotees will have a chance to pick up a rare piece of memorabilia when it goes up for auction on Tuesday.
An unheard demo tape featuring what is believed to be the first recording of “Starman,” one of Bowie’s best known songs, will go under the hammer at Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows, in northwest England.
Auctioneer Paul Fairweather said in a phone interview that he is fairly certain this is the first recording of the song, which was eventually released on Bowie’s 1972 album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.”
“We’ve heard it from start to finish and it’s excellent,” said Fairweather, who is one of only a handful of people to have listened to the 18-track tape.
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A 3D wall portrait of David Bowie, created by Australian street artist Jimmy C, in Brixton, South London
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Bowie's hair and outfits shocked and awed for decades. Pictured, a young Bowie sports a Prince Valiant-esque do in March 1965, while he was still going by his birth name of Davy Jones. He changed his name to Bowie following the success of the Monkees and their lead singer Davy Jones.
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Bowie appears at the Disc and Music Echo Valentine Awards ceremony at the Cafe Royal in London in February 1970.
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Bowie wore this "Starman" costume for his appearance in "Top of the Pops" in 1972. It was featured in the "David Bowie is" exhibition in Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London in 2013. It is one of 300 objects from the exhibit.
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Bowie performs as 'Ziggy Stardust' in 1973.
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Bowie performs his final concert as Ziggy Stardust at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on July 3, 1973. The concert later became known as the Retirement Gig.
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Bowie performs onstage in 1973 wearing makeup and a costume that covers only one leg and one arm.
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This costume was made for Bowie on the 1973 "Aladdin Sane" tour by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto. Bowie said the designs were "everything I wanted... outrageous, provocative and unbelievably hot to wear under the lights."
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Bowie appears in concert at Earl's Court, London, during his 1978 world tour.
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Bowie grins broadly, wearing a plaid shirt with his hair slicked back, circa 1980.
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Bowie appears on the movie poster for the 1986 film "Labyrinth," for which he wrote the music and played the role of the Goblin King.
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Bowie performs sporting a blond mullet in 1987.
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Bowie appears onstage at the Parc des Princes in Paris in June 1997.
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Bowie appears with his wife, model Iman, at the New York premiere of "Hannibal" in February 2001.
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Bowie performs at Zenith in Paris in September 2002.
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Bowie performs at the 2002 VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
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Bowie performs in Copenhagen in 2003.
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Bowie arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala in April 2003 in New York.
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Bowie performs on the third and final day of the 2004 Nokia Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on the Isle of Wight, England.
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Bowie looks clean-cut while attending a gala in New York honoring Rihanna and Michael Clinton with his wife, Iman, in April 2011.
The recording, which Fairweather estimates could fetch £10,000 ($13,000) at auction, also features unheard demo versions of “Moonage Daydream” and “Hang On To Yourself.” Other Bowie recordings have smashed their estimates at Omega Auctions, Fairweather said.
The tape is owned by Kevin Hutchinson, a guitarist who was given the tape in 1971 by friend Mick Ronson, who had been working with Bowie in the studio.
Hutchinson told Omega Auctions that he had learned the songs on the tape before storing it in his loft. It has remained in storage since 1972, accompanying Hutchinson through six different house moves.
Almost 50 years later, auctioneers will find the tape a new owner at a sale that also includes jewelry owned and worn by Elvis Presley, original posters for the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, and glasses worn by Elton John.
Omega Auctions
An original Rolling Stones poster is also part of the auction.
“For a Bowie collector it’s gold dust really,” said Hutchinson. Bowie’s unique sound and chameleon-like ability to reinvent himself made him a pop music fixture for more than four decades.
From a mop-topped unknown named David Jones, to his space-alien alter ego Ziggy Stardust, to his dapper departure as the soul-influenced Thin White Duke, Bowie married music and fashion in a way few artists have been able to master.
On his 69th birthday, two days before his death, Bowie released his final album, “Blackstar.”
It shot to No. 1 on the iTunes chart in the UK and No. 1 in the United States Billboard chart, underscoring his appeal even after decades in the music business.