New David Bowie museum in London unmasks the man behind the make-up

A moving letter written by David Bowie’s father and fan mail from Lady Gaga are among 90,000 items at a new London museum offering intimate insights into the man behind the Ziggy Stardust makeup.

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The David Bowie Centre, which opened on Sept 13, features iconic costumes, instruments and stage props used by the Space Oddity (1969) singer, who died in 2016 aged 69, as well as elaborate drawings and scribbled notes.

One of the most revealing items is a letter written by the English pop star’s father, Haywood Jones, to a company where his son was hoping to work as he made his way as a young musician.

“I don't think I could have taken all the setbacks he has taken and come up smiling and still be full of confidence and fight,” the letter stated.

“Whenever he takes on an idea of any kind, he never lets up and puts everything he has got into it. In fact, I have often suggested he works too hard at times, it is impossible to get him to relax.”

The letter is appropriately displayed next to another, dated July 1968, from Apple Records to Bowie’s management team.