The death of Christopher Ciccone, brother of Madonna

Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died. He was the younger brother of the popstar, who died of respiratory failure: he had throat cancer and was 63 years old. TMZ has learned. This is the second loved one Madonna has lost in a matter of months: in September, her mother-in-law Joan Ciccone also died from an aggressive form of cancer. Another brother, Anthony Cicconedied last year. Madonna and Christopher were very close at the start of her career. Christopher had been one of his dancers and then the artistic director of the Blonde Ambition tour in 1990, as well as responsible for the set design for The Girlie Show in 1993. Their mother died shortly after Christopher’s birth in 1963 from breast cancer.

He died “peacefully” with his husband Ray Thacker by his side, a spokesperson told People. Christopher leaves behind Thacker, his father (to whom he was very attached), Silvio Ciccone, and his brothers and sisters Martin, Madonna, Paula, Melanie, Jennifer and Mario.

Like his siblings, Christopher grew up in Michigan. He studied dance at university before moving to New York to work with Madonna, 66, early in her career. He worked alongside his sister, appearing as a backing dancer in some of her early music videos, including those for “Everybody” et “Lucky Star”.

Relations deteriorated and in 2008 the brother harshly criticized his sister in a book, Life With My Sister, became a bestseller in the New York Times rankings. It was only recently that the two had become brother and sister again, as Christopher had confided in an interview with Vogue, but the damage was done. In the memoir, published on the eve of the popstar’s 50th birthday, Ciccone called Madonna “petty” and a “liar”, accusing her of having blatantly lied about her debut spreading the story that she had arrived in New York in search of her fortune “with a pair of ballet slippers and $35”, when in reality she had a solid middle class family, money and contacts behind her. The breaking point would have been in 1991 when the Material Girl brought cameras to her mother’s grave for her documentary Truth or Dare.