Madonna and her younger brother Christopher Ciccone have had a relationship full of ups and downs over the years
Madonna and her younger brother Christopher Ciccone had a relationship full of ups and downs, with Christopher going from her collaborator to estranged family member over the decades until his death in 2024.
Christopher’s family confirmed to Us Weekly that the dancer, author and interior designer had died of cancer on Friday, October 4, in Michigan surrounded by family, including his husband, Ray Thacker. He was 63. Christopher was one of Madonna’s five siblings, which also includes brothers Anthony, who died in 2023, and Martin, and sisters Paula and Melanie. (They also have two step-siblings, Jennifer and Mario.)
After following her to New York City in the 1980s, Christopher worked for his sister as a backup dancer, dresser and, eventually, her tour director for The Girlie Show in 1993. However, Madonna’s rise to fame ultimately soured their relationship, creating distance and resentment. In a 2008 interview with Good Morning America, Christopher shared that previously he and Madonna “were a very close brother and sister,” and said that it felt “a bit like a marriage.”
Madonna mourned her brother’s death via Instagram, calling Christopher “the closest human to me for so long,” in her tribute. “It’s hard to explain our bond,” she wrote. “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.”
Keep scrolling to read all about Madonna and Christopher’s ups and downs throughout the years:
Christopher was very involved in the early years of his sister’s career as a dancer, a dresser and a creative consultant. He shared in his memoir, Life With My Sister Madonna, that he had moved to New York City in the 1980s to be her backup dancer, even appearing in the music video for her single “Lucky Star” in 1984.
