The unexpected death of Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's brother

Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's younger brother (pictured left), has died at the age of 63. His representative confirmed the difficult and unexpected news to TMZ.

The Queen of Pop had a great relationship with her late brother. She even hired him as part of her dance corps in the early years of her career. Now, the 63-year-old died of cancer.

This was not the only job Christopher Ciccone did for Madonna, however. He also worked as a designer for her shows and as a backstage costume designer.

His greatest projects with Madonna were as the artistic director of the 'Blond Ambition' tour in 1990 and the director of 'The Girlie Show' in 1993.

Apart from those projects, Christopher Ciccone directed music videos for Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton and even worked as an interior designer.

The relationship between Christopher Ciccone and Madonna reached a turning point when he published his book: 'Life With My Sister Madonna' in 2008. The publication did not sit well with the Queen of Pop.

As reported by 'Variety', the siblings were distant for four years and reconciled in 2012. The reunion coincided with the launch of Christopher Ciccone's shoe line, the 'Ciccone Collection'.

The message Madonna dedicated to her deceased brother on Instagram makes it clear that their relationship was and will be eternal.

"My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long. It's hard to explain our bond," she says in a long message describing a relationship of love, closeness, and respect between equals.

Photo: Madonna / Instagram

A sad part about this news is that it comes just two weeks after the death of Joan Ciccone, Madonna's stepmother. She also died of cancer, TMZ reported at the time.

The artist's stepmother was married to Silvio Ciccone, Madonna's father, since 1966. Their union came three years after the pop star's mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, died in 1963, also from cancer.

In just two weeks, Madonna has lost the woman who was her mother for almost half a century and the closest person she ever had in her family and professional life. Hard times, even for a Queen.

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