Sir Gary Oldman: 'World has gone to (expletive)' since David Bowie died

Sir Gary Oldman believes the "world's gone to s---" since David Bowie died.

The Slow Horses actor had been friends with the Ziggy Stardust rocker for years before he died of cancer in January 2016 and not only does he miss having his pal around, he thinks things have "fell apart" in wider society since David's passing.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: “Don’t you feel that since he died, the world’s gone to s---? It was like he was cosmic glue or something. When he died, everything fell apart.

“I miss him. Occasionally, I’ll see something, it’ll make me laugh, and I’ll think, ‘God, I wonder what Dave would have made of this’, or ‘Oh, that would have made him laugh’.”

Gary, 67, recalled how his friend taught him to keep pushing outside of his comfort zone in order to do his best work.

Asked what he'd learned from the Space Oddity singer, he said: "To push the boat out. David always said, 'When you’re wading out into the water and you can feel the sand beneath your feet, you feel safe and calm. But if you just go a little bit farther where your feet don’t quite touch the bottom, you’ll be in a place where you can do your best work.'

"We laughed a lot — a lot. He was very, very, very funny, David. And we sort of had similar kinds of backgrounds, grew up in similar neighbourhoods. So we had that connection.

"But he was always pushing the envelope. He reinvented himself and his music many times. He was inspiring because he was a great innovator and not afraid to try things. It’s nothing conscious, but that rubs off."

Shortly after David passed away, Gary appeared at the BRIT Awards to pay tribute to his friend.

Accepting the Icon Award on his late pal's behalf, he said: “Over his career, David challenged and changed our understanding of the medium, whether in music or in life, he emphasised originality, experimentation, exploration. And in his very unique way, he also reminded us to never take ourselves too seriously.

“He was the sweetest soul ever, with the best cheekbones, until it was done. David, you were mortal, but your potential was superhuman, and your remarkable music is living on. We love you, and we thank you.”

Last year, the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy actor hilariously revealed David's final words to him were "F--- off" as he struggled with some technological issues.

Gary said on The Drew Barrymore Show: “We were Skyping, and you know you wanna disconnect with someone? Sometimes you wanna disconnect and you can’t, and they keep coming back.

"So he was pressing buttons, and he said, ‘Alright, talk to you next week’. ‘Go away’, and he pressed a button, and he went ‘F--- off!’ ”