BRIT Awards posthumously honours David Bowie with two awards

This is an image of the singer David Bowie performing on stage.

Famed musician David Bowie has been honoured with two awards at the BRITs, thirteen months after his death.

The best British male solo artist and the album of the year gongs at tonight’s awards ceremony.

It is the first time the male solo artist category has been won posthumously and the third time Bowie has been honored with it.

The album Blackstar, released two days before Bowie’s death at age 69, won the album of the year award.

Bowie died after a battle with cancer in January 2016.

Click here for a PinkNews guide to how Bowie changed public perceptions of sexuality

Actor Michael C Hall, who starred in Bowie’s musical Lazarus, collected the solo artist award.

He said: “If David Bowie could be here tonight, he probably wouldn’t be here tonight.

“But since he can’t be here tonight I’m here on his behalf, on behalf of his family, to accept this testament to a man beholden to nothing but his own boundless imagination and daring.”

The BRITs also remembered George Michael, Prince and Leonard Cohen during the festivities.

Michael died in December last year, Cohen died in November and Price died in April.

Last week at the Grammys, Adele performed a moving tribute to Michael which she had to restart after messing up.

It was later revealed that Michael’s family wouldn’t let anybody but Adele perform the tribute.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin harmonised with a video recording of Michael, singing Careless Whisper.

During a performance by Katy Perry, the singer revealed skeleton puppets dressed as US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May.