"We can be heroes, just for one day," sang David Bowie on the 1977 pop treasure "Heroes." And as tributes continue to roll in for the late, great artist, many refer to Bowie as just that: a true hero. Of course, he was a hero; not just to the freaks, weirdos, and outsiders for whom he created a sonic home, but for anyone who ever felt moved by his unique approach to pop music as an art form.

In an emotional and eloquent Facebook post written today (Jan. 11), one young artist who knows a bit about doing things differently, Lorde, recalled the time she met David Bowie at a benefit honoring actress Tilda Swinton.

"I've never met a hero of mine and liked it. It just sucks, the pressure is too huge, you can't enjoy it. David was different," Lorde wrote. "I'll never forget the caressing of our hands as we spoke, or the light in his eyes. That night something changed in me - I felt a calmness grow, a sureness. I think in those brief moments, he heralded me into my next new life, an old rock and roll alien angel in a perfect grey suit. I realized everything I’d ever done, or would do from then on, would be done like maybe he was watching. I realized I was proud of my spiky strangeness because he had been proud of his."

As Lorde said, that's who David Bowie was to all of us, and it's the reason why he'll be a hero forever: "He was a piece of bright pleated silk we could stretch out or fold up small inside ourselves when we needed to."