Madonna honors difficult bond with late brother in touching tribute: 'We always found each other again'
Madonna shared a touching tribute to her brother, Christopher Ciccone, who died Friday.
His representative confirmed the news to Fox News Digital, sharing that he died "peacefully" on October 4 from cancer. He was "surrounded by love" with his husband, Ray Thacker, and loved ones by his side.
On her Instagram, Madonna shared multiple photos with her brother over the years, beginning her caption with, "My brother Christopher is gone."
"He was the closest human to me for so long. [It's] hard to explain our bond," she continued. "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."
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Madonna recalled they "danced through the madness of our childhood," adding, "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," the "Vogue" singer wrote. "My ballet Teacher, also named Christopher- created a safe space for my brother to be Gay. [A] word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived."
He joined her in New York "where he applied his craft of dancer and choreographer in support of his sister Madonna’s emerging singing career," according to the family’s statement.
Madonna wrote, "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."
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"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," she continued, recognizing his contributions to her early career.
"We defied the Roman Catholic Church, The Police, the Moral Majority and all Authority figures that got in the way of artistic freedom!"
She also acknowledged the troubles in their relationship.
"My brother was right by my side. He was 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."
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Their rift seemed to stem from several issues, primarily covered in Ciccone’s 2008 memoir, "Life with My Sister Madonna."
In the book, he claimed Madonna revealed his sexuality during a 1991 interview with The Advocate and alleged that her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, was homophobic. He also noted a turning point in their relationship was when she brought cameras to their mother's grave for her documentary, "Truth or Dare."
At the time, a rep for Madonna told the Associated Press that while she had not read the memoir, she found it "very upsetting" that he "has decided to sell a book based on his sister."
In 2012, Ciccone addressed their relationship in an interview with the Evening Standard, telling the outlet, "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. We’re back to being a brother and sister. I don’t work for her, and it’s better this way."
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Madonna shared that as siblings, "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."
It was Ciccone’s cancer diagnosis that apparently brought them closer together again.
"The last few years have not been easy. We did not speak for sometime 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. There will never be anyone like him," she concluded.
"I know he’s dancing somewhere."