Nile Rodgers has said music saved his and David Bowie’s lives.
The Chic star, 72, made the comments while guest curating a display for the new David Bowie Centre, which features personal correspondence between the two musicians.
Speaking about their friendship, Rodgers said: “My creative life with Bowie provided the greatest success of his incredible career, but our friendship was just as rewarding. Our bond was built on a love of the music that had both made and saved our lives.”
The centre, put together by the V&A Museum, will feature a bespoke Peter Hall suit worn by Bowie during the Serious Moonlight tour and chosen for display by Rodgers.
It will also showcase photographs of Bowie, Rodgers and the guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan recording Bowie’s hit song Let’s Dance in New York.
Rodgers produced Let’s Dance and the 1983 album of the same name, as well as the 1993 album Black Tie White Noise, with personal correspondence on display relating to the latter.
Costumes worn during Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust period, and those worn by other musicians including Sir Elton John and PJ Harvey, will also be on display.
The centre will open within the museum’s new East Storehouse in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, east London, on Sept 13.
The Last Dinner Party, the Brit Award-winning indie rock band, have also curated part of the exhibition, describing Bowie as a “constant source of inspiration to us”.
Their items include Bowie’s elaborate handwritten lyrics for his song Win, and notes and set lists for his 1976 Isolar tour.
The band said: “David Bowie continues to inspire generations of artists like us to stand up for ourselves.
“It was such a thrill to explore Bowie’s archive and see first hand the process that went into his world-building and how he created a sense of community and belonging for those that felt like outcasts or alienated – something that’s really important to us in our work too.”
Access to the David Bowie Centre will be free, with tickets released nearer its opening.
The David Bowie archive, which boasts more than 90,000 items, was acquired by the V&A with the help of the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.
The centre will be spread across three zones, which will include curated displays, audio visual installations and quieter study areas, allowing visitors to view the Bowie archive on their own, from musical instruments to stage models.
Small displays will tell the stories behind the singer’s albums and also look at his multi-dimensional creative approach, including unrealised projects, collaborations and influences.
The East Storehouse opened at the end of May, and features the Order An Object initiative, allowing visitors to pre-book to see an item from its entire collection.
The V&A will also open the V&A East Museum, in an area named East Bank, in spring next year.