He had no public retirement. But this Thin White Duke is also responsible for some of the finest music made by this David Bowie. Instead the character just got faded and it became a monster in Bowie's past forever.

This Thin White Duke: David Bowie's Darkest Character!

Although it Thin White Duke did not get any dramatic death like ziggy Stardust. This is actually telling the Duke a bad character and when he turned towards the darkness, it turned towards darkness. Later in life Bowie presented his period as the darkest of his life.

Source video & images - https://laughingsquid.com/david-bowie-thin-white-duke/