In 1976, David Bowie took the coolest mug shot in history

Leave it to David Bowie to take the coolest mug shot of all time.

The legendary artist and style icon died Sunday at the age of 69, and the Democrat & Chronicle is taking a look back at the arrest that led to his chic mug shot. On March 21, 1976, hours after performing at the War Memorial Arena in Rochester, New York, cops from the vice squad arrested Bowie, 28, and three others — including James J. Osterberg, a.k.a. Iggy Pop — in his three-room suite at the Americana Rochester Hotel. Police said there was about half a pound of marijuana in the room, a Class C felony.

Bowie posted bail for everyone, and after leaving to play shows in Massachusetts and Long Island, returned on March 26 and pleaded innocent to charges of marijuana possession. Fans lined up outside the courthouse to get a glimpse of Bowie, but a Democrat & Chronicle article from that day said "his biggest greeting was the screams of about a half-dozen suspected prostitutes awaiting arraignment in the rear of the corridor outside the courtroom." Bowie told the judge he was "not guilty, sir," while wearing a "gray three-piece leisure suit and a pale brown shirt. He was holding a matching hat." Bowie briefly spoke with reporters after the arraignment, and said he appreciated the protection he was receiving from city police. "They were very courteous and very gentle," Bowie said. "They've been just super."

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A grand jury declined to indict Bowie, and the charges were dismissed. He never played in Rochester again.