Madonna Pays Tribute to Her 'Visionary' Brother Christopher After His Death: 'I Know He's Dancing Somewhere'

Mar. 15, 2025

Madonna poses for a photo with her brother Christopher Ciccone after the Golden Globes in 1997.Photo:Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty

Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty

Madonnais remembering her late brotherChristopher “Chris” Gerard Cicconeas a “visionary” who “danced through the madness” of life alongside her.

After a representative for Christopherconfirmed to PEOPLEthat the pop superstar’s sibling died of cancer on Friday, Oct. 4 at age 63, Madonna shared anemotional tribute on Instagramon Oct. 6, remembering her sibling as “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,” Madonna wrote. “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.”

Madonna poses with her brother Christopher Ciccone.Madonna/Instagram

Madonna/Instagram

After noting that a ballet teacher once “created a safe space for my brother to be gay,” Madonna wrote of how Christopher followed her when she “finally got the courage” to travel to New York and 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 epicenter of all of these things exploding,” Madonna recalled. “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.”

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Madonna and her brother Christopher Ciccone at the 70th Annual Academy Awards.KMazur/WireImage

KMazur/WireImage

Madonna then reflected on Christopher as “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,” she wrote.

“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,” she added.

Madonna and her brother Christopher Ciccone.Madonna/Instagram

Later in life, Christopher “continued to work: as an interior specialist; a designer of footwear; a memoirist — all the while dedicating himself to painting as his primary mode of personal expression,” his representative wrote upon the news of his death.

“The last few years have not been easy,” Madonna concluded her tribute to her brother. “We did not speak for some time 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,” she added. “There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.💔”

source: people.com