Lost battle against cancer Madonna mourns younger brother: "He was the closest person to me for a long time"
Pop star Madonna has lost her younger brother Christopher Ciccone to cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The younger brother of pop star Madonna has died of cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Pop star Madonna has lost her younger brother Christopher Ciccone to cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The younger brother of pop star Madonna has died of cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Pop icon Madonna grew up with several siblings. An older brother died last year and now her younger brother Christopher has succumbed to cancer. He helped with his sister's rise to fame.
07.10.2024, 04:45
07.10.2024, 04:49
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A younger brother of US musician Madonna (66) has died.
- Christopher Ciccone died of cancer at the age of 63, his family announced through a spokesperson.
- An older brother of Madonna, Anthony Ciccone, died in February 2023 at the age of 66.
A younger brother of US musician Madonna (66) is dead. Christopher Ciccone died of cancer at the age of 63, his family announced through a spokesperson. His husband, British actor Ray Thacker, and other loved ones were by his side, the statement said. An older brother, Anthony Ciccone, died in February 2023 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 wrote in response to numerous photos of the siblings together. They felt like outsiders in their conservative small town and had a close bond early on as a result. "We took each other by the hand and danced through the madness of our childhood." The shared love of dance was "a kind of superglue" and 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 at the beginning of her career. For many years, he assisted the singer as a personal assistant, dancer, decorator and tour manager. He later worked as a shoe designer and interior decorator.
At times, the siblings had no contact
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".
In 2008, Ciccone wrote a book about his life alongside the singer, who became world-famous with songs such as "Like A Prayer" and "Frozen". At this point, the siblings' relationship was already strained. The autobiography "My Sister Madonna and I" caused the relationship to deteriorate further, as reported by the US media. In 2012, Ciccone stated in interviews that they were in contact with each other again.
In her tribute to her brother, Madonna admits that they went through lows and did not speak to each other for a while. Through his illness, they had found their way back to each other. She is glad that he no longer has to suffer.
