Madonna speaks out after death of her younger brother: 'The closest human to me'

Madonna penned an emotional tribute to her younger brother Christopher Ciccone after his death at the age of 63, writing, "there will never be anyone like him."

Ciccone’s representative, Brad Taylor, confirmed to TODAY.com that the artist and dancer died Friday, Oct. 4, in Michigan after having cancer.

Madonna honored her brother with a sweet post on Instagram Sunday reflecting on his life and their relationship.

“My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long,” she began. “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 explained how dance played an important role in their lives.

“We took each other's hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood,” she wrote. “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 recalled her ballet teacher making a safe space for her brother, who was gay, in their hometown before they both moved to New York. They continued to support each other and pursue their dancing dreams in the Big Apple.

The music superstar wrote that the two siblings “devoured art and music and film like hungry animals.”

She said they leaned on each other during the onset of the AIDS epidemic.

“We went to funerals and we cried, and we went dancing,” she added. “We danced together on stage in the beginning of my career and eventually, he became my 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.”

She described them as two rebels, defying religion, police and authority, before calling him "a painter a poet and a visionary."

“I admired him. He had impeccable taste,” she gushed. “And a sharp tongue, Which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him.”

Although the two were close through many highs and lows together, she revealed that there had been a period of time when they "did not speak."

“We did not speak for sometime,” she shared. “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.”

Madonna said her brother’s final days were painful. But, the siblings still "danced together."

"I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere," she concluded.

In her post, she uploaded a carousel of photos that showed the strength of their bond over the decades. The slideshow featured multiple throwback and black and white photos of the two embracing and attending events together.

Ciccone died "peacefully on Oct. 4, surrounded by his husband and loved ones; surrounded by love," his representative said in a statement.

Ciccone is survived by his husband, Ray Thacker, as well as his siblings, Martin, Madonna, Paula and Melanie and half-siblings Jennifer and Mario.

Madonna and Ciccone's older brother Anthony Ciccone died in February 2023 at the age of 66.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com