Christopher Ciccone, the younger brother of Madonna, has died at the age of 63.
Ciccone’s rep Brad Taylor confirmed the death to the Associated Press, adding that Ciccone died Friday in Michigan following a battle his cancer. People adds that Ciccone died “peacefully” with his husband Ray Thacker by his side.
“My brother Christopher is gone,” Madonna wrote on social media Sunday. “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.”
The youngest of six Ciccone siblings, Christopher Ciccone collaborated closely with Madonna early in her career, appearing as a backup dancer in the videos for “Everybody” and “Lucky Star.” Ciccone would also serve a variety of roles on Madonna’s tours, including as an art director on the Ambition World Tour in 1990 and as a production designer and tour director on 1993’s The Girlie Show.
“My brother was right by my side,” Madonna continued in her tribute. “He was a painter a poet and a visionary. I admired him. He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, Which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him. 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.”
In addition to his time with Madonna, Ciccone was also an interior designer, music video director (he helmed videos for Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett), artist, footwear designer, and author, writing the 2008 memoir Life With My Sister Madonna that detailed his tumultuous relationship with his famous sister.
“The last few years have not been easy. We did not speak for sometime 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,” Madonna wrote.
“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’s death comes just weeks after the death of the siblings’ stepmother Joan Clare Ciccone; their birth mother (also named Madonna) died of breast cancer in 1963, the same year as Christopher’s birth. Anthony Ciccone, Madonna and Christopher’s brother and the oldest of the siblings, died in 2023.