No funeral: David Bowie has reportedly been cremated in secret

The death of legendary rocker David Bowie to liver cancer on Sunday came as a shock to fans all over the world.

And despite the tributes still pouring in from all over the globe, David's final goodbye was reportedly as low-key as possible, with US news outlets today saying his a private cremation took place soon after his death.

It's thought no family or friends were present at the New York cremation ceremony, at David's request.

"In many respects you don’t need a memorial or service to remember David by… you have his music instead," one source told The Daily Mirror.

"He would have wanted to just disappear with no fuss, no big show, no fan-fare. This would totally be his style.

"His last album Blackstar was very much his goodbye to fans instead."

Blackstar was released on David's 69th birthday on January 8, just two days before his death. Many fans have pointed to the album's lead single Lazarus as Bowie's "swan song," as the video opens with the singer in a hospital bed and the line "Look up here, I'm in heaven."

Among the mourners gathering to pay tribute to David outside his New York apartment on Monday evening was The Frames frontman Glen Hansard, who sang this beautiful version of Ashes to Ashes in the singer's memory: