David Bowie was at the peak of his creative powers in the mid-'70s, and Ava Cherry was right there by his side.
For five years, the nu-soul diva joined him onstage and in the studio, singing backup on some of his biggest albums and tours. She also shared his private life as his girlfriend, witnessing a side of the Starman that few would ever get to see.
Cherry spoke to iHeartRadio for their upcoming biography podcast series Off the Record (launching Jan. 18), which explores the life of the chameleonic musician over 11 episodes. On the fifth anniversary of his death, PEOPLE has an exclusive excerpt of that interview, in which Cherry remembers their love and recalls what it was like living with a legend.
The pair met in the flesh that February at the after party for her friend Stevie Wonder's Carnegie Hall concert.
Introductions were made and it was something approaching love at first sight. Bowie was in full Ziggy regalia in an electric blue suit and his spiky hair dyed fire engine red. The 'do perfectly complemented Cherry's new bleached blonde buzzcut. Despite the loud attire, Bowie was the consummate English gentleman, greeting her with an elegant, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ava," delivered in his finest patrician clip.
"Are you a singer?" Bowie ask her "I wasn't going to say no!"
The following day she met with Bowie at a local recording studio for a brief audition. After running through a few songs, he made a more personal proposition and invited her to dinner. "I got all dressed up and I met him at his hotel," she remembers. "Oh, he was a gentleman. He opened the door for me. He was just the best. We had the most wonderful dinner." Following a concert by jazz legend Charles Mingus, they retired to his hotel — together.
"The next morning, I was like, 'Wow, I feel like I'm in love, and I've never really felt like this before.' He was so different. We're lying there, and then all of a sudden the phone rings." Minutes later, the door opens and a woman enters. David calmly introduces her as his wife, Angie. "I'm standing there like, "What?" I didn't say much, because I didn't know what to say." Angie greeted her warmly with enthusiastic hellos and a kiss on the cheek before heading on her way.
Cherry was more than a little confused. "I said, 'David, why didn't you tell me you were married? I don't know if I would have come if I had known that.' And he said, 'Oh no, we have an open marriage. She has a girlfriend or a boyfriend and she does what she wants.'" The explanation suited Cherry just fine. "I was already hooked. There was nothing I could do about how I felt. I wasn't going to let him go."
"One day I'm in this bar, and I heard someone say, "David Bowie." When I heard his name, I went up to them and said "Excuse me, did you say David Bowie?" And he said, "Yes, he's across the street.'"
Sure enough, she found Bowie in the chic Castel club next door. Though Cherry found him in mid-conversation with another woman when she arrived, they soon had eyes only for each other. "He said, 'But you came all the way over here just to find me?! Wow.' The next thing I know he goes, 'Let's go.'"
A limousine was summoned, transporting Cherry into a fairy tale brought to life. They arrived at Château d'Hérouville, an 18th-century castle on the outskirts of Paris that had been converted into a recording studio. This was Bowie's home while recording his 1973 album Pin Ups.
For a week they lived together like royalty. "It was heaven," she says. "I would have to say d'Hérouville was one of the most beautiful times in my life." Sometimes they ventured into the City of Light for a night on the town. "We would go and have dinner, and we'd walk by the Seine, and we would go see other artists perform. And then, of course, he loved to make love. That was a favorite of ours!"
Read the full story on People and The Telegraph
