Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, died Friday at age 63. The fifth child of Madonna Louise and Silvio Patrick Ciccone, his famous sister was two years older than him, and the siblings worked together in New York City.
A dancer and choreographer, Ciccone “used his talents to support Madonna’s emerging career,” per the Hollywood Reporter, filling roles for his sister that included, at times, acting as her creative consultant, dresser, art director, music video director, show designer, and tour director. He was also one of her backup dancers, TMZ reports.
The two were later estranged for some time, however, after his 2008 tell-all, Life With My Sister Madonna, was released. However, in later years he told reporters they’d reconciled, and the Material Girl confirmed that in an Instagram tribute to her brother Sunday.
“He was the closest human to me for so long,” she writes. “Its [sic] 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.”
Her lengthy tribute goes on to reminisce about their life together, including, “We defied the Roman Catholic Church, The Police, the Moral Majority and all Authority figures that got in the way of Artistic freedom!” She acknowledges that he sometimes used his “sharp tongue” against her, but says she always forgave him, and that they found their way back to each other. Ciccone, who later worked as an interior designer and had his own footwear line, died of cancer, leaving behind his husband, British actor Ray Thacker.
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