What David Bowie’s Death Had To Do With Celebrity Big Brother’s Most Iconic Moment

Summary

• Tiffany Pollard's confusion over which David had died created an iconic TV moment on Celebrity Big Brother.
• David Gest's extensive eye surgery led houseguests to mistakenly believe he had died in his sleep.
• The aftermath of the incident led to a museum exhibition and Tiffany Pollard selling 'David is Dead' t-shirts.

In 2016, season 17 of Celebrity Big Brother gave the world one of the most iconic reality TV moments in Big Brother history.

Celebrity Big Brother Season 17 was eventually won by Geordie Shore star Scotty T, but the series featured a stellar line-up, that included British reality TV heavyweights, including Gemma Collins, Stephanie Davis, Jeremy McConnell, Megan McKenna, Christopher Maloney, and Darren Day.

This season of Celebrity Big Brother is remembered for the standout moment involving David Gest, Angie Bowie, Tiffany 'New York' Pollard, and the late David Bowie.

Although many viewers of Celebrity Big Brother Season 17 will recall Ex On The Beach star Megan McKenna's iconic tantrums, The Only Way Is Essex royalty Gemma Collins walking an actual Shetland pony around the garden, and Stephanie and Jeremy's romance, nothing is as truly unforgettable as Tiffany Pollard's confusion about which David had actually passed away.

How David Bowie's Death Created An Unforgettable Celebrity Big Brother Moment

Angie Bowie was featured on the 17th season of Celebrity Big Brother when she learned of her ex-husband David Bowie's death. She was told in the diary room that her superstar ex had passed away from cancer. Angie collected her thoughts before returning to the house, clearly distraught at the news.

After Tiffany Pollard took notice of Angie's state, she asked her fellow houseguest what was going on. Angie didn't want Tiffany to think she was weak or sick, so she shared her tragic news. Angie simply announced to Tiffany, still in shock, "David’s dead."

The Flavor of Love star misunderstood which David had died and presumed fellow houseguest David Gest had passed away. She started screaming hysterically while Angie looked at her confused.

Tiffany mistakenly thought David Gest had suddenly “died in the diary room” and proceeded to announce to the other famous houseguests that he was dead, despite Angie asking her to keep her personal news a secret from the others.

"I can’t keep it a secret, she told me not to tell anybody. He told me something and I have to say it. I’m not able to not say anything."

David and Angie Bowie were married for ten years between 1970 and 1980. Their son, Duncan Jones, is the director of Moon and Source Code.

Emma Willis, who presented the show at the time, fondly spoke about the incident and how losing a global icon created one of British television's best moments. "It came about from such sad circumstances...

"But the misunderstanding that happened from such a sad event became iconic television."

"It’s a really weird one to talk about with fond memories, because it came from something devastating. And obviously, David Gest is no longer with us, but purely from a reality TV perspective, it was dynamite."

Why David Gest's Extensive Surgery Led Houseguests To Believe He Died During Celebrity Big Brother

David Gest, who found fame when he married Liza Minnelli, was asleep in his bed when the rest of the house thought he had died. On the day of the unforgettable TV moment, David Gest had been taken out of the house for tests because he had been feeling unwell. He came back two hours later and said, “I’m going for a sleep.”

Darren Day, a West End star, explained the day in a GQ oral history, " We just remember seeing Tiffany jump up and down hysterically in the house – I thought there was a spider."

"She just came running out screaming “David’s dead!” I just thought, s***… maybe he has [died]. I start running towards the bedroom and everyone comes with me. So as we ran into the room and looked at his bed, he was in it, but the sheet was pulled up over his head like someone had died."

Fellow houseguest Christopher Maloney, who found fame on The X-Factor, revealed that David Gest had so much surgery on his eyes that he could not close them. So, when the houseguests went to check if he was dead, he was laid in bed with his eyes open, giving him the appearance of being dead. "So when me and Darren Day had to check that he was alive, we said 'David, are you dead?'. But because he slept with his eyes open, he just sat up and said [puts on an American accent] 'No, I’m alive.'"

Just a couple of months after Celebrity Big Brother season 17 aired, David Gest passed away. David himself was about to embark on the "David Gest is not Dead tour!" but tragically died just months after leaving the Celebrity Big Brother house.

What Happened After The 'David Is Dead' Incident

The aftermath of Tiffany Pollard believing David Gest had died goes down in reality TV history. Initially, Tiffany was angry with Angie Bowie, believing the former actress and model was creating drama. Once Tiffany was calmed down, Angie could confirm it was her ex-husband David Bowie who had passed away,

Luckily, English actor John Patridge cleared up what had happened to the others in the Big Brother house. "It’s not my place to tell you this. Angie’s had some news. [Tiffany’s] misunderstood the name. That’s all I’m going say."

Cashing in on her misfortune, Tiffany started a merchandise line and started selling t-shirts with 'David is Dead' slogans. This venture soon stopped after David Gest passed away.

In 2018, a New York museum announced they were making an entire exhibition out of the reality TV moment. David’s Dead: A Celebration of Tiffany Pollard celebrated Tiffany's "entire oeuvre," as well as focusing on "her masterpiece David’s Dead, which we believe is the pinnacle of reality television..."

"Roughly 7 minutes of pure unbridled chaos in the celebrity UK Big Brother house."

Emma Willis says that almost a decade later, fans still approach her quoting scenes from that series of Celebrity Big Brother. "I think everybody was just flabbergasted. It was just that disbelief and shock that something so simple can go so wrong."