Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone dies aged 63

Madonna's brother Christopher Ciccone has died at the age of 63, just days after the family suffered another loss with the death of their stepmother

Madonna's younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died at the age of 63. His passing comes shortly after their stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, lost her battle with cancer on September 24.

In the entertainment industry, Christopher made his mark as a designer, artist and director, organising concert tours, music videos and films. A close friend of Christopher described him as "an extremely talented man with a wicked sense of humour."

Christopher was arguably Madonna's closest sibling, beginning his career as her assistant, stylist and artistic director. As Madonna began to make waves in the music industry, Christopher was always by her side.

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However, their relationship wasn't without its difficulties, particularly after Christopher penned a tell-all book detailing his strained relationship with Madonna's then-husband, Guy Ritchie, reports the Mirror.

He continued, stating the Material Girl is a "middle-class girl who propagates the story that she landed in Times Square with just a pair of ballet shoes and $35 to her name."

However, his assertions didn't stop there; he claimed her tale is "pure mythology and the further she progresses, the more mythological her life story becomes."

Reportedly battling substance abuse issues, Christopher received financial support from Madonna for numerous rehab stints, indicative of her attempts to support him. Despite this, their once-close relationship seemingly reached a point of no return when she removed him from his role as her tour director in 2003.

In 2008, he took public the details of their relationship with his book, Life With My Sister Madonna.

Yet by 2012, it seemed the frosty relationship between the siblings had begun to warm. Speaking with The Evening Standard, he remarked, "(We are) on a perfectly personable level right now. As far as I'm concerned, we're good. We are in contact with each other, although I haven't seen her for a long time. We're back to being a brother and sister. I don't work for her, and it's better this way."

He went on to express admiration, saying: "I couldn't be more proud of her. She is a force to be reckoned with. Does she have Barbra Streisand's voice? No. Can she dance like Martha Graham? Probably not. But the combination of her abilities has made her great, and left a huge legacy for her, and through her, for me. So yeah, God bless her."