Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the most influential electric guitarists in the world, was given a jumpstart to his career by Bowie. Although his career came to a halt after a helicopter crash, Bowie was one of the first people who recognized Vaughan’s greatness. After Vaughan’s performance at a festival, Bowie said, “[He] completely floored me. I probably hadn’t been so gung-ho about a guitar player since seeing Jeff Beck with his band the Tridents.” That’s when their friendship and eventual music collaborations started, which more than helped get Vaughan’s music out there.

I, I can remember (I remember)
Standing, by the wall (by the wall)
And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads)
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)
And the shame, was on the other side

So go the lyrics to Bowie’s Heroes, a song from the second installment of his “Berlin Trilogy” albums. This was also the song he played in 1987 during the last day of his three-day Concert for Berlin, in front of the Reichstag building. The concert was broadcast in East Berlin, but could still be heard from the wall. This made East Berliners form a mob beside the wall, the music uniting the audiences from the divided country.

“It was one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever done. I was in tears,” Bowie shared. “We kind of heard that a few of the East Berliners might actually get the chance to hear the thing, but we didn’t realize in what numbers they would. And there were thousands on the other side that had come close to the wall. So it was like a double concert where the wall was the division. And we would hear them cheering and singing along from the other side. God, even now I get choked up. It was breaking my heart. I’d never done anything like that in my life, and I guess I never will again.”

After the last performance of the third day by the Genesis, East German authorities decided to contain the mob. They used water cannons to push people away and even dragged and arrested 200 concert-listeners.

How Bowie helped was not a direct cause of the destruction of the Berlin Wall two years later, but it is surely something that the German government is thankful for:

Good-bye, David Bowie. You are now among #Heroes. Thank you for helping to bring down the #wall. https://t.co/soaOUWiyVl #RIPDavidBowie

— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) January 11, 2016

Bowie admitted to the whole world that he was a bisexual in 1976, a time when genders other than man or woman were not as socially accepted. He continued breaking gender stereotypes with his androgynous performances and clothes, which not only influenced fashion but also, more importantly, a then small and hidden community: the LGBTIQ community.

“It was about the androgyny of mixing it up, and that was what was so incredible about his concepts—-he was one of the first rock stars to really push the idea that sexuality was not black and white but an exploration,” Adam Lambert said about Bowie’s influence on him. Shears, lead singer of Scissor Sisters, said, “Growing up, no matter what I was doing—-whether it was theater, tap dancing or writing horror stories–it always seemed like he was there to guide my way.”

Bowie didn’t really care what he looked like nor what people thought about him. He wore his soul, and that was enough for queer people to muster the courage to wear theirs.

Bowie is his own genre. The constant reinvention of his style, vision, image and music is the reason why he’s a legend in every way. When you think about it, the man has inspired artists from different genres and industries like Lady Gaga, Janelle Monae, Kurt Cobain, Lorde, Pixies, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, actress Tilda Swinton, model Kate Moss–just a small sample group among billions that have been touched by his life. An artist, a chameleon, a Starman, you will be missed, David. You’re finally free.

This way or no way
You know I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Now, ain’t that just like me?

Oh, I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Oh, I’ll be free
Ain’t that just like me?

How did David Bowie influence you? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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