Madonna shares emotional tribute to her ‘visionary’ brother Christopher Ciccone after his death
Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone died aged 63. (Getty)
Madonna has shared an emotional tribute to her late brother Christopher Ciccone, whom she called a “visionary” who “danced through the madness” of life beside her.
Ciccone died on 4 October at the age of 63, a representative for the artist and interior designer told People Magazine.
On 6 October, the pop superstar took to Instagram to commemorate the life of her beloved brother, who she recalled as “the closest human to me for so long”. She posted a series of pictures of herself and Ciccone from over the years.
Madonna wrote: “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. 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,” she said.
The star noted that their ballet teacher “created a safe space for my brother to be gay” before he “finally got the courage” to follow her to New York to become a dancer. “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 the 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,” she recalled.
“We defied the Roman Catholic Church, the Police, the Moral Majority and all Authority figures that got in the way of Artistic freedom,” she continued. “My brother was right by my side.”
The star admitted that “the last few years have not been easy” after Madonna and her late brother fell out of touch “for some time“. She continued: “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.”
“I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore,” Madonna added. “There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.”
A representative told the outlet that Ciccone died after navigating a cancer diagnosis, and died “peacefully” with his husband Ray Thacker by his side.
If this story has affected you, call the National Bereavement Service on 0800 0246 121 in the UK, or 0191 656 3201 for international callers. Advisors are available Monday-Friday 9am-6pm and Saturday 10am-2pm.
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