Madonna is going through a new tragic ordeal. The Queen of Pop must deal with the death of her brother Christopher Ciccone, at only 63 years old. The American artist, younger brother of Madonna, died this Friday, October 4 in his native Michigan, alongside his husband Ray Thacker and his loved ones, following a battle with cancer. Christophe Ciccone was more than close to the American superstar since he helped him for a long part of his career. Dancers at his side from his beginnings (we see him on performances of “Holiday” or “Lucky Star”), he then became the artistic director of his legendary tours “Blond Ambition World Tour” and “The Girlie Show” in 1990 and 1993. In 2008, Christopher hit the headlines with the acerbic book “Life My Sister Madonna” (“My sister, the biggest star in the world” in French), in which he paints an often inglorious portrait of his sister, which would have caused their estrangement.
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“The last few years have not been easy”
But Christopher Ciccone’s illness strengthened his ties with Madonna. In a long message shared on Instagram, the “Vogue” singer reveals her grief a few days after the disappearance of her brother. “ He was the human being I was closest to for so long. It’s hard to explain our connection. But it was born from the understanding that we were different and that society was going to give us a hard time if we didn’t follow the status quo. We held hands and danced through the madness of our childhood » she writes. In the rest of the message, the 66-year-old singer recounts how she went through the trials of life (and her career) by his side: “ We danced through the madness of the AIDS epidemic. (…) We danced together on stage at the beginning of my career and eventually, he became the artistic director of several tours. (…) We defied the Roman Catholic Church, the police, the moral majority and all authority figures who stood in the way of artistic freedom ».
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Like Madonna, Christopher Ciccone was an artist at heart. “ He was a painter, poet and visionary. I admired him. He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, which he sometimes used against me but which I always forgave him » she continues, probably in reference to Christopher’s controversial book released in 2008: “ We have reached the highest peaks together and floundered through the lowest. Somehow we always found each other and held hands and kept dancing ». Madonna thus admits that “ the last few years have not been easy » and recounts with emotion his last moments: “ We didn’t speak for a while but when my brother got sick we found our way back to each other. 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, closed our eyes and danced together. I’m glad he’s no longer in pain. There will never be anyone like him ».
A black series for Madonna
The death of Christopher Ciccone appears to be a new dramatic test for Madonna lately. A few days ago, his mother-in-law Joan died at age 81 from cancer. His other older brother Martin died in 2023. Thank you for wowing me as a young girl and introducing me to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, thinking outside the box. You planted so many important seeds » Madonna then reacted.