Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's brother and collaborator, dies at 63

He served as one of the pop star's creative consultants and backup dancers, and later penned the tell-all "Life With My Sister Madonna."

Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's younger brother, who served as a creative consultant and backup dancer for the pop star before becoming an artist, has died. He was 63.

Ciccone died peacefully on Oct. 4 after a battle with cancer, his representative confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. He was surrounded by loved ones, including his husband, Ray Thacker.

Following the announcement of his death, Madonna penned a lengthy, heartfelt tribute to her brother on Instagram.

"My brother Christopher is gone," she began. "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."

She added, “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.”

Referencing his work as a creative director for many of her tours, she wrote, “When it came to good taste, my brother was the Pope, and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing.”

She continued, "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. Somehow, we always found each other again and we held hands and we kept dancing.”

The “Material Girl” singer also addressed the years they spent apart, when they were not on speaking terms, explaining that they reconciled in the wake of his sickness.

"The last few years have not been easy,” she wrote. “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.”

She concluded, “I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.”

News of Ciccone’s death comes weeks after his stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, died on Sept. 24 "after a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer," per an online obituary.

Related: Madonna says nobody told her as a child that her mother was dying: 'I just watched her disintegrate'

Born Christopher Gerard Ciccone in Pontiac, Mich., on Nov. 22, 1960, Ciccone was the fifth child and third son to Madonna Louise and Silvio Patrick Ciccone. Like his sister, Ciccone held a deep love of music.

As a college student, he took dance classes at Oakland University in Michigan, before beginning his professional career as a dancer in 1980 with the Le Group de La Palace Royale in Ottawa in Canada. Two years later, he would relocate to New York to support his older sister's burgeoning music career. He appeared in the music video for her 1984 hit single "Lucky Star" as one of her backup dancers, and also joined her on stage and in televised performances.

As her fame grew, Ciccone served as a dresser and later an art director for the singer, providing artwork for her smash single "Like a Prayer" and 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. He also became an interior designer, working for his sister.

Related: Madonna returns to work on delayed biopic, reveals movie title Who's That Girl with Julia Garner still set to star

Aside from Madonna, Ciccone collaborated with artists including Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett, directing music videos for their respective singles "Peace Train" and "God Bless the Child."

In 2008, Ciccone released his autobiography, Life With My Sister Madonna, which debuted at No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list. Critics panned the tell-all memoir for its harsh nature, and it reportedly caused tension in Ciccone's relationship with his sister, who did not approve of the book's release.

Ciccone claimed in the best-seller that Madonna outed him in a 1991 interview with The Advocate, in which she identified him as "gay," and accused her ex-husband Guy Ritchie of being homophobic. He said the "turning point" in their relationship was her 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare, when she brought a camera crew to their mother's grave.

Following the memoir's release, Madonna's longtime representative Liz Rosenberg told the Associated Press (per Billboard) that the singer didn't read it but found it "very upsetting" that Christopher "decided to sell a book based on his sister."

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

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While addressing his relationship with Madonna in 2012, Ciccone indicated that they were in a better place. "As far as I'm concerned, we're good," he told The Evening Standard. "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 added, "I couldn't be more proud of her. She is a force to be reckoned with."

Aside from his husband, with whom he tied the knot in 2016, Ciccone is survived by his father and siblings Madonna, Martin, Paula, Melanie, Jennifer, and Mario, along with countless nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by eldest his brother, Anthony; his mother, Madonna; and his stepmother, Joan.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.