Why Iman won’t remarry after Bowie’s death
Supermodel and entrepreneur Iman has spoken about life after the passing of her husband David Bowie, as well as their 26 years together.
“I knew him as the man, David Jones, his real name,” she told People in a new interview. “And not the rockstar.”
The pair first met in 1990 in an unusual fashion, after Teddy Antolin, Bowie’s hairdresser and longtime friend, set them up on a blind date.
In an interview with WC2H smoothradio, Antolin shared how Iman and Bowie instantly connected.
“She had a big smile, and she and David looked at each other… it was love at first sight, you could feel the electricity, something went off” Antolin said.
Iman recalled that it took her a few months to feel the same way as Bowie.
“David said it was love at first sight. It took me a few months but I got there,” she said.
After their first date, the Starman singer filled Iman’s hotel room with gardenias following her appearance on the Thierry Mugler runway in Paris, and went on to meet her at the airport when she returned to LA.
In her latest interview, Iman recalled another sweet moment: “Early on, we were walking down the street and my shoelace came undone, and he got on his knees to tie it for me and I thought he’s the one.”
Bowie and Iman were engaged within a few months, before marrying on June 6, 1992 in Florence, Italy.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Alexandra Zahra Jones, eight years later.
Despite their fame, the pair were quite private and only a few close friends and colleagues knew of Bowie’s various health concerns, including his cancer diagnosis in 2014.
Two days after the release of his album, Blackstar, the star’s 18-month battle with cancer came to an end.
While processing the loss of her husband, Iman said she was inspired to create her first fragrance called Love Memoir. She added that the idea came after she spent time in their New York home during the pandemic, and that it was a “monument to eternal love”.
Shortly after Bowie’s passing, Iman said she couldn’t face spending too much time at their home.
“I just got very sad and would rush back to the city,” the Iman Cosmetics founder said. “I thought I had processed [the loss] but I had not.”
The fragrance combines two sweet details honouring the couple’s time together: woodsy vetiver, in a nod to Bowie’s favourite fragrance; and bergamot from Tuscany, where the couple were wed.
Recalling the moment her daughter asked if she would ever remarry, Iman said: “I said, ‘No, I will not.’ I still feel married.
“Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband and I said, ‘No, he’s not my late husband. He’s my husband.’”
Image: @the_real_iman (Instagram)