By Kristen Vake

Fans are still coping after the news of legendary artist David Bowie’s death last week.

The 69-year-old musician battled cancer for 18 months, unbeknownst to his fans and the public. Bowie knew no boundaries when it came to his performances, but he also pushed the limit when it came to social issues – like gender and sexuality.

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Michael Darling, chief curator at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, recalled Bowie’s appearances on British television’s Top of the Pops “where people couldn’t tell if this was a man or a woman, performing this amazing song. I think it was that he was so early and had such a visible platform that he became a leader in that area,” Darling said.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago was host to the “David Bowie Is” exhibit last year. Chicago was the only place in the United States to host the exhibit, which showcased memorabilia of the artists’ career. The exhibit brought in a total of around 200,000 people to the museum from September 2014 to January 2015.

The “Rebel Rebel” singer left fans with a new album called Blackstar, which was released two days before his death. The legend’s final album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making it his first number one album.