Christopher Ciccone, the gay brother of Madonna, has died at the age of 63. Representatives have confirmed he died October 4 following a battle with cancer at home in Michigan, surrounded by loved ones, including his husband, Ray Thacker.
Ciccone and elder sister Madonna were very close growing up. He acted as a creative consultant and backup dancer for the pop star during her 80s and early 90s heyday. However, they later fell out, with Madonna dropping him as her creative director in 2003. Ciccone penned a memoir entitled, Life With My Sister Madonna in 2008, which drove a further wedge between them.
Ciccone also worked as an interior and furniture designer and as an artist.
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On Instagram, Madonna posted a lengthy message paying tribute to Christopher.
“My brother Christopher is gone,” she said. “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,” Madonna continued.
“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,” she said. “A word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived.”
Madonna has previously spoken about how her childhood ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, was one of the first, influential gay men in her life.
Moving to New York
“When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a dancer,” Madonna said, “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 epicenter 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. 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.”
“I know he’s dancing somewhere”
She went on to address their falling out.
“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 ended by saying, “I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.💔”
Proud of his sister
Christopher Ciccone’s death comes less than a month after the September 24 passing of his and Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone. Madonna’s older brother, Anthony, died in February 2023.
Madonna has five other remaining siblings: Martin, Paula, Melanie, Jennifer, and Mario. Her father, Silvio, is also still alive.
In 2012, Christopher told the Evening Standard that he and Madonna were on talking terms again but hadn’t seen each other for some time.
“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.
“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.”
Christopher Ciccone married British-born husband Ray Thacker in 2016.
According to the Daily Mail, Christopher died following a battle with pancreatic cancer. It says he and Madonna grew much closer following the death of their brother Anthony, and as Christopher’s own health deteriorated.
“Christopher had pancreatic cancer and had been living at Madonna’s house in Los Angeles for over a year prior to his passing,” an anonymous source told the paper.
“Anthony’s passing marked a pivotal moment for the entire family, bringing them together in a way they hadn’t been in years. In those final months, Madonna and Christopher were so close.”
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Chrisk
Sad to here of this. I remember meeting Christopher when I first moved to LA in 1999. I was told to never bring up his Sister. I didn’t know about their bad history. Must have really been a weird experience living under her shadow like that. He seemed like a nice guy.
Pancreatic cancer is the worst news anyone can get. No one in my family that’s gotten the diagnoses has ever escaped it alive. At least they made it to their 70s. 63 is just way too young though.
RIP