--- title: David Bowie’s Letter to 14-Year-Old American Fan Resurfaces description: David Bowie fans have been sharing a touching letter the British musician wrote to his first American admirer nearly 50 years ago. canonical: https://time.com/4174935/david-bowie-fan-mail-letter-2/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-11T13:57:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:37.979Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: David Bowie’s Letter to 14-Year-Old Fan Resurfaces After Singer’s Death og:description: "My real name is David Jones and I don’t have to tell you why I changed it" og:url: https://time.com/4174935/david-bowie-fan-mail-letter-2/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a81a469b9bf359f/6988786d8e0601d0414640f7/david-bowie-fan-mail.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Larry Busacca Archive og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: David Bowie’s Letter to 14-Year-Old Fan Resurfaces After Singer’s Death twitter:description: "My real name is David Jones and I don’t have to tell you why I changed it" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a81a469b9bf359f/6988786d8e0601d0414640f7/david-bowie-fan-mail.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # David Bowie’s Letter to 14-Year-Old Fan Resurfaces After Singer’s Death > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 11, 2016 1:57 PM UTC  David Bowie performs in 1987 in New York City. David Bowie performs in 1987 in New York City.L. Busacca/WireImage by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jan 11, 2016 1:57 PM UTC David Bowie fans have been [sharing a touching letter the British musician wrote to his first American admirer](http://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/read-the-letter-david-bowie-sent-to-a-14-year-old-fan?bffbuk&utm%5Fterm=4ldqphz#4ldqphz) nearly 50 years ago as tributes continue to pour in following the iconic artist’s death. The [music legend died Sunday](http://time.com/4174815/david-bowie-death-cancer/?xid=homepage) after an 18-month battle with cancer, his son and publicist announced. He had just turned 69. [Bowie](http://time.com/4174857/david-bowie-time-1983-lets-dance/?xid=homepage) was 20-years-old when he penned a letter back to his 14-year-old fan, Sandra Dodd, from New Mexico in 1967\. She had just received a copy of his record as a gift from her uncle and offered to start up Bowie’s first fan club in the U.S., according to _Buzzfeed News_. “A few moments ago I was handed my very first American fan letter – and it was from you,” Bowie wrote. “I was so pleased that I had to sit down and type an immediate reply.” > [](https://twitter.com/paul1kirby/status/686465396988313600) “There is a fan club here in England, but if things go well in the states then we’ll have one there I suppose. It’s a little early to even think about it,” he continued. “I hope one day to get to America. My manager tells me lots about it as he has been there many times with other acts he manages.” ### The Many Faces of David Bowie  David Bowie is seen c. 1965. CA—Redferns/Getty Images  David Bowie during a portrait session in 1966 in London. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  David Bowie in his "Ziggy Stardust" guise in June, 1972 in London. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Twiggy poses with David Bowie for the cover of his Pin Ups album in 1973 in Paris. Justin de Villeneuve—Getty Images  David Bowie performs c. 1973. Archive Photos/Getty Images  From left: Angie Bowie, his son Zowie Bowie (Duncan Jones) and David Bowie, appear at a press conference at the Amstel Hotel on Feb. 7, 1974 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Gijsbert Hanekroot—Redferns/Getty Images  David Bowie is seen with a large barking dog while working on the artwork for his album Diamond Dogs in London in 1974. Terry O'Neill—Getty Images  From left: David Bowie, Yoko Ono and John Lennon at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 28, 1975 in New York City. Ron Galella—Getty Images  David Bowie during the filming of The Man Who Fell To Earth in Los Angeles in 1976. Terry O'Neill—Getty Images  Iggy Pop and David Bowie in Germany in March 1977. Evening Standard/Getty Images  David Bowie performs on Saturday Night Live on Dec. 15, 1979 in New York City. NBC/Getty Images  From left: Carmine Rojas, David Bowie, and Carlos Alomar perform during the Serious Moonlight tour in 1983 at Wembley Arena in London. Phil Dent—Redferns/Getty Images  Paul McCartney and David Bowie backstage at Live Aid on July 13, 1985 in London. Dave Hogan—Getty Images  David Bowie plays an acoustic guitar while being photographed at a press conference in Tokyo on May 19, 1990. AP  Annie Lennox and David Bowie perform "Under Pressure" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert on April 20, 1992 in London. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images  David Bowie onstage at Madison Square Garden for his 50th Birthday Concert in New York City on Jan. 9, 1997. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images  David Bowie is seen while being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Calif. on Feb. 12, 1997. Jim Smeal—Getty Images  David Bowie performs during the Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on June 13, 2004 in Newport, U.K. Jo Hale—Getty Images  David Bowie performs with Arcade Fire at Conde Nast's 2005 Fashion Rocks Show on Sept. 8, 2005 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images  David Bowie during his last live performance on Nov. 09, 2006 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images  David Bowie attends the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on June 7, 2010 in New York City. Andrew H. Walker—Getty Images  David Bowie and Iman are seen on April 28, 2011 in New York City. Andrew H. Walker—Getty Images  David Bowie in 2015. Jimmy King The singer also tells his pen pal his real name, height and birthday. “In answer to your questions, my real name is David Jones and I don’t have to tell you why I changed it,” he wrote. “Thank you for being so kind as to write to me and do please write again and let me know some more about yourself.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4174935/david-bowie-fan-mail-letter-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4174935/david-bowie-fan-mail-letter-2/"},"headline":"David Bowie’s Letter to 14-Year-Old Fan Resurfaces After Singer’s Death","datePublished":"2016-01-11T13:57:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:37.979Z","description":"\"My real name is David Jones and I don’t have to tell you why I changed it\"","url":"https://time.com/4174935/david-bowie-fan-mail-letter-2/","keywords":["Music"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a81a469b9bf359f/6988786d8e0601d0414640f7/david-bowie-fan-mail.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a81a469b9bf359f/6988786d8e0601d0414640f7/david-bowie-fan-mail.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Larry Busacca Archive","caption":"David Bowie performs in 1987 in New York City.","creditText":"L. 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