Christopher Ciccone, an artist and former dancer who was also the younger brother of singer Madonna, has died, his agent Brad Taylor confirmed to CBS News. He was 63 years old.
Taylor announced in a statement that he died of cancer on October 4, surrounded by his husband, Ray Tucker.
Born on November 22, 1960 in Pontiac, Michigan, Ciccone is an artist, interior decorator, and designer who began his career as a dancer. He joined Le Groupe de la Palace Royale in Ottawa in 1980 and moved to New York two years later to support his sister’s music career as a backup dancer.
Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
As Madonna’s career grew, Ciccone became more involved, serving as art director for her sister’s Blonde Ambition World Tour in 1990 and directing her The Girly Show in 1993. Served as tour director. He also directed music videos for megastars Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett. 1990s.
His role expanded beyond music when Ciccone assumed the role of interior designer for homes owned and occupied by his sister in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.
In 2012, Ciccone launched his shoe line, the Ciccone Collection, at London Fashion Week.
he said. CBS News at the time His goal, he says, is to make the brand “accessible to everyone” and not be too expensive.
“The great thing about making shoes is that potentially everyone has a pair. When you’re doing art, you only have one pair of shoes,” Ciccone said.
Ciccone, who was openly gay, claimed in a 1991 interview with The Advocate that his sister cowed him out.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images, OUT Magazine
Ciccone published a revealing autobiography called “Life With My Sister Madonna,” and although there were reports that the two had become estranged, Ciccone told CBS News in 2012 that he was glad he wrote the book. .
“I don’t regret anything about that,” he said. “I think that’s what led me to do this. It gave people an opportunity to think of me as a creative person, as an artist, and not just as Madonna’s younger brother. It’s a tag I’ll wear forever,” Ciccone said in 2012.
The two eventually reconciled.
“As far as I’m concerned, our relationship is good,” he told CBS News.
Ciccone and Tucker – a British-born actor – married in 2016.
Ciccone’s death comes less than two weeks after he and Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Claire Ciccone, died of cancer. His eldest brother, Anthony, passed away in 2023.