What was the name of David Bowie's alien rock star persona from the early 1970s?

David Bowie's alien rock star persona from the early 1970s was Ziggy Stardust.

Bowie introduced Ziggy as an androgynous, otherworldly rock musician who comes to Earth shortly before an imagined apocalypse. The character became the centerpiece of the 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, with Bowie performing in flamboyant costumes, bright makeup, and vivid red hair.

Ziggy was not simply another name for Bowie. He was a carefully constructed stage character, backed by the fictional-sounding Spiders from Mars. Bowie retired the persona during a concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973, announcing that it was the final appearance of the act.

A common mix-up is Aladdin Sane, the lightning-bolt character from Bowie's 1973 follow-up album. The Thin White Duke was a later persona, while Pierrot was associated with Bowie's later visual imagery.