Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone, died at 63 years old, days after their stepmother Joan Clare Ciccone died after a short battle with cancer
Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s brother, died at the age of 63.
The Lucky Star singer’s younger brother’s death comes days after Joan Clare Ciccone, the siblings’ stepmom, died. Joan died after a short battle with cancer.
It’s unclear what led to Christopher’s death and the Queen of Pop has yet to comment publicly on his passing. The two have had a rollercoaster of a relationship over the years.
Christopher and Madonna had a falling out in 2008 after the younger sibling released a memoir titled Life with My Sister Madonna. In his book, he claimed that Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie and he “never got along.” He also said that his sister’s relationship with the movie director was the “death knell for my relationship with her.”
The two had a falling out but later reconciled ( Image:Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Throughout his career, Christopher was a designer, artist, and director. He helped work behind the scenes for various concerts, music videos, movies, and more.
Christopher was one of his sister’s backup dancers and was the art director for her 1990 Blonde Ambition world tour. He also directed music videos for Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett.
His career started when he became Madonna’s personal assistant, stylist, and artistic director. The two Michigan-born siblings moved to New York to chase Madonna’s dream of becoming a singer.
Over the years he struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, with Madonna paying for his trips to rehab. Though Madonna fired him as her tour director in 2003, and five years later he wrote the tell-all book, the two’s relationship appeared to be on the mend in the last few years of Christopher’s life.
In an interview with the Evening Standard in 2012, Christopher said that he and his sister are “on a perfectly personable level right now.” He added: “As far as I’m concerned, we’re good.”
“We are in contact with each other, although I haven’t seen her for a long time,” Christopher continued, “We’re back to being a brother and sister. I don’t work for her, and it’s better this way.”
In 2012 he released his own shoe line and in 2016 he married British hairdresser Ray Thacker. “‘He was an extremely talented man with a wicked sense of humor,” one friend of Christopher said, according to Daily Mail.
