CNN —
Madonna is grieving the death of her brother.
Designer, dancer and artist Christopher Ciccone died “peacefully” on Friday at the age of 63, according to a statement from Ciccone’s family provided to CNN by his agent Brad Taylor.
The superstar paid tribute to Ciccone in a post on his Instagram page on Sunday, calling him “the closest person to me in a long time.”
Their bond, she writes, “was born out of an understanding that we were different and that society would punish us if we didn’t conform to the status quo.”
The “Vogue” singer recalled how the art of dance symbolically “saved” both herself and Ciccone, saying it was “a strong glue that bound us together” and that early in her career. explained why the two moved to New York City.
“My brother was right there,” she continued. “We soared to the highest heights together. And we floundered at the lowest of lows. Somehow, we always found ourselves again, holding hands and continuing to dance.”
Ciccone served as a creative consultant to Madonna as her career exploded, serving as artistic director for her 1990 Blonde Ambition World Tour, which was featured in the 1991 music documentary Truth or It was recorded in “Dare”.
He also choreographed the music video for her 1982 song “Everybody” and directed Dolly Parton’s “Peace Train” music video in 1997. In 2008, Ciccone released her memoir, Life with My Sister Madonna, in which she details their lives. -A turbulent relationship through the ages.
Ciccone then worked as an interior designer and shoe designer.
“The last few years haven’t been easy,” Madonna wrote candidly in her eulogy on Sunday. “We didn’t speak for a while, but when my brother got sick, we found our way back to each other.”
A statement from his family said Ciccone died “surrounded by love” after a battle with cancer.
“I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore. There will never be another like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere,” Madonna wrote.
Ciccone is survived by her father, Silvio Ciccone, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and her husband, Ray Tucker.