Madonna's 'closest human' brother Christopher Ciccone dies after cancer battle

Madonna has paid tribute to her brother Christopher Ciccone, who has died at the age of 63 following a battle with cancer. He was known for his work in the art world.

Madonna has honoured her brother Christopher Ciccone, who passed away at 63, as being "the closest thing to me for so long".

Ciccone was a multi-talented artist, dancer, and designer, with notable involvements in Madonna's career such as appearances in her 'Lucky Star' music video, art directing the 'Blond Ambition World Tour', and directing 'The Girlie Show' tour. He died on Friday in Michigan following a cancer diagnosis.

In an emotional Instagram post, Madonna reflected on his struggle: "He was the closest human to me for so long, it’s hard to explain our bond," she wrote. "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."

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She continued by revealing their connection to their ballet teacher, also named Christopher, who provided a sanctuary for her brother: "Discovering dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too, my ballet teacher, also named Christopher, created a safe space for my brother to be gay, a word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived."

Reflecting on their journey to New York, Madonna emphasised the solidarity between them: "When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a dancer, my brother followed, and again we took each other’s hands, and we danced through the madness of New York City."

She concluded her tribute by reminiscing about how they passionately immersed themselves in arts and culture: "We devoured Art and Music And Film like hungry animals, we were in the epicentre of all of these things exploding."

"My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long, it’s 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, my ballet teacher, also named Christopher, created a safe space for my brother to be gay, a word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived.

"When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a dancer, my brother followed, 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 epicentre of all of these things exploding.

"We danced through the madness of the Aids epidemic. We went to funerals and we cried, and we went dancing. We danced together on stage in the beginning of my career and eventually, he became my creative director of many tours.

"When it came to good taste, my brother was the Pope, and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing. We defied the Roman Catholic Church, the police, the moral majority and all authority figures that got in the way of artistic freedom. My brother was right by my side, 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.

"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. He was in so much pain towards the end, once again, we held hands, we closed our eyes and we danced, together."

Madonna expressed her relief that her brother is no longer had to endure no more pain: "I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore, there will never be anyone like him."

She added, "I know he’s dancing somewhere."

Ciccone was a man of many talents, having directed music videos for the likes of Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett, as well as working as an interior designer on Madonna's homes in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. This latest loss comes just weeks after Madonna lost her stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, to cancer, and follows the passing of her older brother Anthony Ciccone early last year.

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