Madonna’s Younger Brother Christopher Ciccone Dies at 63
Madonna‘s younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died at the age of 63.
Christopher passed away after a battle with cancer on Friday (Oct. 4) in Michigan, his representative confirmed to TMZ.
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“My brother Christopher is gone,” Madonna began a lengthy message on Instagram alongside a photo gallery of her late sibling. “He was the closest human to me for so long. Its hard to explain our bond. But it grew out of an understanding that we were different and society was going to give us a hard time for not following the status quo. We took each other‘s hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood. In fact dance was a kind of superglue that held us together. Discovering Dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too.”
The Queen of Pop has faced many deaths in her family as of late. Christopher’s passing arrives less than two weeks after the death of Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, who also had cancer. The pop superstar’s oldest brother, Anthony Ciccone, also passed away in February 2023 of respiratory failure and throat cancer. He was 66.
Madonna addressed Christopher’s illness in her heartwarming tribute. “We did not speak for sometime but When my brother got sick. We found our way back to each other,” she wrote. “I did my best to keep him alive as long as possible. He was in so much pain towards the end. Once again, we held hands We closed our eyes and we danced. Together. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.”
Christopher — one of Madonna’s seven siblings — began his entertainment career as one of his sister’s backup dancers before moving on to direct music videos for such stars as Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett. He also served as the art director for Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour and was the tour director for her 1993 The Girlie Show.
“When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a Dancer. My brother followed,” Madonna remembered in her Instagram note. “And again we took each other’s hands, and we danced through the madness of New York City! We devoured Art and Music And Film like hungry animals. we were in the epicenter of all of these things exploding.”
Madonna and Christopher, who was also an artist and interior designer, had a falling out that was documented in his 2008 book, Life With My Sister Madonna, which reached No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list. He claimed that the singer outed him in a 1991 interview with The Advocate, saying, “My brother Christopher’s gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of my family.”
Christopher later addressed his relationship with Madonna in a 2012 interview with The Evening Standard. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re good. We are in contact with each other, although I haven’t seen her for a long time. We’re back to being a brother and sister. I don’t work for her, and it’s better this way,” he said at the time.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is a force to be reckoned with. Does she have Barbra Streisand’s voice? No,” Christopher added about his sister. “Can she dance like Martha Graham? Probably not. But the combination of her abilities has made her great, and left a huge legacy for her, and through her, for me. So yeah, God bless her.”
Madonna also spoke out about her turbulent relationship with Christopher in her remembrance. “I admired him. He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, Which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him,” the superstar wrote on IG. “We soared the highest heights together And floundered in the lowest lows. Somehow, we always found each other again and We held hands and we kept dancing. The last few years have not been easy.”
Christopher married British hairdresser Ray Thacker in 2016.
Madonna’s former longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg also took to social media to remember Christopher.
“Honoring the memory of my old friend Christopher Ciccone hugely talented and all the happy memories we shared. those years ago. RIP my beautiful boy,” Rosenberg wrote on Instagram.
See Madonna’s full tribute to her brother Christopher on Instagram here.
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