Madonna is paying tribute to her late brother days after his death.
Christopher Ciccone, the younger brother of the Like a Virgin singer, sadly died of cancer at just 63 years old on Friday. He was apparently surrounded by loved ones, including his husband Ray Thacker, but it wasn’t clear what the status of his and Madonna’s relationship was as they’d been through a LOT of ups and downs over the better part of the last two decades. But on Sunday, M took to Instagram to confirm the pair had “found each other again” in the wake of his health issues. In a lengthy, heartbreaking tribute, she wrote:
“My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long. 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. “
She continued:
“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. My ballet Teacher, also named Christopher — created a safe space for my brother to be Gay. a word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived.”
What a beautiful and powerful memory.
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The Hung Up Singer continued:
“When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a Dancer. 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.”
What a terrifying time… But fortunately, they had each other to lean on throughout it all.
Madonna added:
“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.”
They were such an iconic pair. They made waves together! Truly two sides of the same coin.
Speaking of their 2008 estrangement after Christopher made allegations against his big sister in his book Life With My Sister Madonna, she added:
“[He had] 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.”
But things got rough in the past few years amid Christopher’s health battle. The Material Girl singer added:
“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”
That’s so heartbreaking… Madonna apparently was able to pay for some of the best cancer treatments out there for her brother, but in the end, he sadly succumbed to the disease. She signed off:
“Once again, we held hands We closed our eyes and we danced. Together. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.
”
”Scroll through the beautiful photos Madonna shared of her and her brother (below):
What a truly inspiring life Christopher lived. And Madonna’s words — they’re just absolutely perfect amid this impossible situation. Our hearts go out to her during this incredibly difficult time. Rest in peace, Christopher.
