The BBC revealed that David Bowie, who died from cancer in January 2016, was secretly working on a musical called The Spectator before his death. The project focused on 18th-century London.
Bowie’s notes were found locked in his study after he passed away. They were only accessible to Bowie and his assistant. These notes have now been donated to the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London.
The notes were written on dozens of sticky notes. They outline ideas for a show about art, satire, and criminals like the famous thief “Honest” Jack Sheppard. Madeleine Haddon, lead curator at the V&A’s Storehouse, said, “We even have the desk where he worked.”
David Bowie Was Secretly Writing a Musical About 18th-Century London Before He Died
Detailed notes for the show, tentatively titled The Spectator, were discovered pinned to the wall in the late musician's locked New York City office. https://t.co/dw6FQYbLgq
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) September 5, 2025Bowie’s notes show his interest in London’s Enlightenment era and its political satire, especially about the Robert Walpole government. One idea imagined surgeons fighting over corpses after a public hanging, with Jack Sheppard as a main character. Another plot involved a group called the Mohocks, who attacked key figures.
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Haddon believes Bowie was exploring how artists used satire to comment on politics, drawing parallels to 2015 America. She told the BBC, “He was thinking about how art can spark change.” Bowie kept The Spectator secret, even from close friends. The sticky notes, rearranged to form the musical’s structure, reveal his creative process.
The discovery adds a new side to Bowie’s legacy. Fans and scholars are excited to study his unfinished work, which blends history, art, and social commentary.
