After releasing his last album 'Blackstar' in January 2016, and therefore too late to make an impact on the subsequent Grammy Awards, David Bowie is revisited more than a year after his death to smash through this year's music celebrations with a total of five posthumous awards.

David BowieDavid Bowie wins five Grammy Awards

The rock pioneer's number one album landed him Best Alternative Music Album, Best Recording Package and Best Engineered Album at the 59th annual Grammy Awards last night (February 12th 2017), with the title track also winning Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

It was his twenty-fifth and final studio album released on Bowie's 69th birthday two days before he passed away after an 18-month battle with liver cancer. Co-produced by his long-time collaborator Tony Visconti, the album also featured such stellar numbers as 'Lazarus' and 'Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)' featuring the Maria Schneider Orchestra - the latter of which went on to win Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 58th Grammys. 

Adele, of course, was the other big winner of the night, also with five big prizes to her name. Her third album - released all the way back in November 2015 (apparently still too late to be considered for the 2016 Grammys) - '25' won Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, and her extremely catchy number one single 'Hello' predictably earned Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

More: Read our review of 'Blackstar'

The singer looked tearful and rather petrified when she got up to accept her Album of the Year Award, and even tried to insist that she doesn't take home the gong. 'I can't possibly accept this award', she sobbed. 'I'm very humbled and I'm very grateful and gratious but my artist of my life is Beyonce and this album for me, the 'Lemonade' album, was just so monumental.'

'Lemonade' did win Best Urban Contemporary Album, and Best Music Video went to 'Formation', but Beyonce was ultimately beaten by the likes of Adele and David Bowie in her other nominated cateogories.