After news of David Bowie’s death hit the internet late Sunday night (Jan. 10), I knew I’d never fall asleep. Like other crushed fans around the world, I wanted to hear my favorite Bowie songs again, savoring his voice and clinging onto his words like I never had before. I wanted to see the tributes to him flooding in across social media that made me feel weirdly connected to perfect strangers. I wanted to triple-check the news to find out if this was all real or just some sick hallucination. And then I just wanted to get away for a bit.

So at 1 a.m. PST, I got in my car and drove to 7021 Hollywood Blvd., the official address of an L.A. Fitness gym that’s housed in a building with a CVS pharmacy, a Subway, and a few more shops and restaurants. Bowie’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame sits on the sidewalk in front of this particular building, neighbored by Paula Abdul and Faye Dunaway’s stars to the east, and Pierce Brosnan and Fred Allen’s to the west.

The two-mile drive from my house to Bowie’s star was remarkably quick — the usually-bustling (read: hella traffic) stretch of Hollywood Blvd. was mostly dead, save for a couple bars that managed to draw rowdy Sunday night crowds. I had no clue if anyone would even be at Bowie’s star, but as I approached, I saw a small crowd staring at his name etched into the sidewalk, the brass square covered with an assortment of glowing candles and flower bouquets. Upon closer inspection, I saw a few miniature Jameson bottles, lighters, a neon pink toy alien and heaps of glitter piled around the makeshift memorial space.

Come Monday morning, this spot is bound to be a zoo, with the usual flocks of tourists crowding around it, selfie sticks in hand, while others rush by it on their way to work. But tonight, the people who gathered did so simply because they wanted to, and needed to, feel close to Bowie and to one another. And so we mourned together by throwing glitter in the air, playing Bowie’s music from our iPhones, and talking about how much he meant to us and to the world.

Here’s what his fans told me, accompanied by the phrases they think define Bowie and his legacy: