Madonna's strained relationship with brother Christopher Ciccone explored after sibling's death

On October 6, 2024, Madonna took to Instagram to announce the death of her younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, who died on Friday after battling cancer. The siblings, who were once close collaborators, had a complicated relationship that saw them being estranged for a few years.

According to The Daily Mail, they reconciled down the line, and Ciccone even stayed in the singer's Los Angeles home during the last few months of his life. He died at the age of 63 in Michigan. His death came days after they lost their stepmother to cancer.

They also lost their older brother to throat cancer last year. On Sunday, Madonna penned a tribute to her late brother on social media, dubbing him "a painter a poet and a visionary."

"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. We soared the highest heights together. And floundered in the lowest lows," she wrote.

"Somehow, we always found each other again and We held hands and we kept dancing.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," she added.

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Madonna accidentally outed Christopher in 1991

Madonna Louise Ciccone was one of eight siblings. In an old interview, she revealed that she shared a close bond with her brother Christopher, whom she called "Chrissy." Christopher appeared as an uncredited backup dancer in a few of his sister's music videos. She later appointed him the art director for her 'Blond Ambition' world tour in 1990.

He also served as the director for her 1993 'The Girlie Show' tour. The cracks in their relationship began after the "Queen of Pop" accidentally outed her brother during a 1991 interview with The Advocate.

"My brother Christopher's gay. And he and I have always been the closest members of my family," she said.

This was further compounded by Madonna's decision to film a documentary scene on their late mother's grave, which Christopher dubbed the "turning point" in their relationship. In a 2000 email, he also alleged that Madonna never fairly paid him for all his work.

In the scathing email, he referred to the singer as "an evil queen," claiming she sucked him dry of all his talent and utilized it for herself.

"I gave up my f**ing life to help make you the evil queen you are today… 15 years listening to your b**ing, egotistical rantings, mediocre talent, and a lack of taste that would stun the ages… Every ounce of talent you have, you have sucked dry from me and the people around you… I certainly have never worked for you for the money..." he wrote.

The "death knell" for his relationship with his sister was her marriage to British director Guy Richie in 2000. He called Richie "a man who seems so insecure in his masculinity that he thrives on homophobia" in his 2008 memoir, Life with My Sister Madonna.

However, in a 2012 interview with The Evening Standard, Christopher revealed that he and his sister had patched things up. He added their relationship took a turn for the better after they stopped working with each other.

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In other news, Madonna is working on her biopic titled Who's That Girl after her hit 1987 song of the same name. The biopic will reportedly star Julia Garner as the Queen of Pop, handpicked by the singer herself.