Madonna SPEAKS OUT

Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died. He was 63.

Christopher “died peacefully” of cancer on Friday in Michigan, his rep confirmed to The Post on Sunday.

The 66-year-old music icon responded to Ciccone’s death in a heartfelt statement on Sunday.

“My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long. It’s 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.”

“We took each other‘s hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood. In fact, dance was a kind of superglue that held us together.”

Christopher Ciccone and Madonna in 1998. Sygma via Getty Images
“Discovering dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too.”

In a lengthy message shared via social media, Madonna continued, “The last few years have not been easy. We did not speak for some time 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.”

Christopher Ciccone at London Fashion Week 2012. PA Images via Getty Images
Christopher’s “loving” husband, British hairdresser Ray Thacker, was “faithfully by his side” when he died, the rep said.

Christopher’s death comes less than two weeks after the passing of his and Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, from cancer. The siblings also lost their brother, Anthony Ciccone, in Feb. 2023.

Christopher was an artist, interior decorator and designer. He served as the art director on Madonna’s Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and was the tour director for her The Girlie Show in 1993.

He also directed music videos for Dolly Parton, and Tony Bennett in the 1990s.

The brother-sister duo had a falling out which Christopher wrote about in his 2008 tell-all book, “Life With My Sister Madonna,” which became a New York Times bestseller.

Madonna and Christopher Ciccone at a Golden Globes party in 1997. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Madonna and Christopher Ciccone in 1989. WireImage
Christopher claimed that Madonna outed him in her 1991 interview with The Advocate, where she said, “My brother Christopher’s gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of my family.”

He also accused Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie, whom she was married to from 2000 to 2008, of being homophobic.

In addition, Christopher said the “turning point” in his relationship with the Grammy Award winner was when she brought cameras to their mother’s grave for her 1991 documentary “Truth or Dare.”

Madonna, Christopher Ciccone in Paris in 1990. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Christopher Ciccone. WireImage
“I kept it inside but I thought to myself, ‘OK, there are no boundaries now.’ You know, my mother’s now become a side — a bit player in her life, life story, and it hurt me. And I — my, my opinion of her altered at that moment. I never said anything about it,” he told “GMA” in 2008.

“I think, ultimately, she’s a lonely person and, unfortunately, it, it truly is lonely at the top,” Christoper added about his sister.

Madonna, Christopher Ciccone and Alex Keshishian at the “Madonna: Truth or Dare” premiere in May 1991. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Madonna’s rep, Liz Rosenberg, said to the Associated Press at the time that the singer didn’t read the tell-all and found it “very upsetting” that Christopher “decided to sell a book based on his sister.”

Rosenberg added, “I would have to assume she has come to terms with the fact that they do not have a close and loving relationship. And with the book coming out, I assume that will remove the chances of that ever happening.”

Christopher addressed his relationship with the “Vogue” singer in a 2012 interview with The Evening Standard.

Christopher Ciccone at the OUT100 2012 Most Compelling People Of The Year awards. WireImage
“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,” he said.

“I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is a force to be reckoned with. Does she have Barbra Streisand’s voice? No,” Christopher also said about Madonna. “Can she dance like Martha Graham? Probably not. But the combination of her abilities has made her great, and left a huge legacy for her, and through her, for me. So yeah, God bless her.”

Christopher married British hairdresser Ray Thacker in 2016.

Madonna, Christopher Ciccone at the 1998 Oscars. WireImage
Madonna tragically lost her stepmother shortly before Christopher died.

“Joan Clare Ciccone passed away peacefully early in the morning of September 24th, 2024, after a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer,” an online obituary stated. “She will be terribly missed by her family and friends whose lives she enriched with her enthusiasm, joy and love.”

Joan Ciccone died of cancer on September 24, 2024. Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home
Joan was married to Christopher and Madonna’s father, Silvio, for 58 years.