Pop music icon Madonna paid tribute to her late brother, Christopher Ciccone, just days after his death—saying that despite a period of estrangement they had reconnected recently.
She described him as as the “closest human to me for so long” in a lengthy Instagram post Sunday.
Ciccone’s death at 63 was first confirmed by the New York Post on Sunday. His spokesperson told the outlet that he “died peacefully” with his “loving” husband “faithfully by his side.”
It’s unclear what type of cancer Ciccone had.
“My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long,” Madonna began her tribute.
She went on to explain that dance saved both of them from the “madness of our childhood” and that a ballet teacher was the first person to allow Ciccone to be himself as a gay man.
She writes about their time in New York City during the AIDS epidemic and compared Ciccone to the Pope when praising his taste as a creative director.
In addition to “good taste,” he also had “a sharp tongue, which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him,” the pop star shared.
“There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere,” she added.
Despite years of estrangement, Madonna said she and Ciccone reconnected when she found out he was ill.
According to The Sun, Ciccone married British hairstylist Ray Thacker back in 2016.
Ciccone chronicled his strained relationship with his superstar sister in a 2008 memoir called Life With My Sister Madonna.
The famous family is no stranger to tragedy. Ciccone’s stepmother, Joan Ciccone, lost her battle with cancer late last month. Madonna and her brother also grieved the loss of their brother, Anthony Ciccone, in 2023.
Christopher Ciccone worked as an interior designer and used these skills as an art director on his sister’s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour and others.
Prior to their reconnection, Ciccone told The Evening Standard in 2012 that they were in contact but had been face-to-face in “a long time.”
