“It’s a great time to be David Bowie,” wrote the New York Times in Monday’s edition. The paper detailed his new album, a planned tribute concert, and his work on an off-Broadway musical. But hours after the paper went to press, the Times and others were reporting his death from cancer at age 69. He’d kept his illness secret while working on a final album.

This is a big loss. Bowie will be remembered as an adventurous artist who produced lots of great music.