A younger brother of the US musician Madonna (66) is dead. Christopher Ciccone died of cancer at the age of 63, his family announced through a spokesman. His husband, British actor Ray Thacker, and other people close to him were at his side, the statement said. It was only in February 2023 that an older brother, Anthony Ciccone, died at the age of 66.
Madonna says goodbye to her younger brother with an emotional Instagram post. “He was the closest person to me for so long,” the singer writes about numerous photos of the siblings together. They felt like outsiders in their conservative small town and therefore had a close connection early on. “We took each other by the hand and danced through the madness of our childhood.” The shared love of dance was “a kind of super glue” and would have saved her and her gay brother.
Madonna, whose real name is Madonna Louise Ciccone, grew up with seven siblings in the US state of Michigan. Christopher Ciccone followed his sister to New York early in her career. He served the singer for years as a personal assistant, dancer, decorator and tour manager. He later worked as a shoe designer and interior designer.
In New York they devoured art, music and film “like hungry animals,” writes Madonna. There they also danced through the “madness of the AIDS epidemic”. She admired her brother – “painter, poet and visionary”.
Ciccone wrote a book in 2008 about his life alongside the singer, who became world famous with songs like “Like A Prayer” and “Frozen”. At this point, the siblings’ relationship was already strained. The relationship deteriorated further as a result of the autobiography “My Sister Madonna and I”, as US media reported. In 2012, Ciccone stated in interviews that they were in contact again.
They went through depths and didn’t speak to each other for a while, Madonna admits in her tribute to her brother. Through his illness they found their way back to each other. She is happy that he no longer has to suffer.
Have you been following on Whatsapp for 20 minutes?
A news overview in the morning and at the end of the day, surprising stories and breaking news: Subscribe to the 20 Minutes WhatsApp channel and you will receive regular updates with our best stories directly to your cell phone.
