Madonna’s touching final gesture to brother Christopher Ciccone before his death aged 63

Superstar Madonna put years of feuding aside with one heartbreaking act during her late brother’s battle with cancer.

Madonna opened up her Los Angeles home to her terminally ill younger brother before his death, it has been revealed.

The superstar made amends with brother Christopher Ciccone after years of feuding before his death from pancreatic cancer aged 63.

A lifelong friend of Ciccone said the artist stayed at Madonna’s Los Angeles mansion for over a year before his death on October 4 in his home state of Michigan.

He passed away surrounded by his husband, Ray Thacker, and their loved ones.

Madonna with her brother Christopher Ciccone in 1991, at the premiere of In Bed With Madonna. Picture: AP

The friend told the  Mail Online how Madonna took care of her brother “despite their tumultuous relationship over the years”, and “spared no expense in ensuring he had the best possible care and support”.

Madonna had once been extremely close to her younger brother, who collaborated with her for years as her assistant, dresser, stylist and artistic director.

He famously featured in the documentary In Bed With Madonna, which revealed their tight bond.

But their relationship was rocked in 1991 when he reacted angrily after she outed him in a TV appearance.

The Queen of Pop opened up her home to her dying brother despite years of feuding. Picture: Instagram

He later wrote a tell-all book about the superstar, delving into her former marriage to Guy Ritchie, which he claimed was the “death knell“of his relationship with his sister. 

The book, Life with My Sister Madonna, also branded the singer an “evil queen”.

He claimed Madonna had exaggerated her rags to riches rise to fame, saying she was “a middle-class girl who propagates the story that she landed in Times Square with just a pair of ballet shoes and $35 to her name.”

He said Madonna’s claims were “pure mythology and the further she progresses, the more mythological her life story becomes”.

Ciccone’s death came just weeks after the death of the siblings’ stepmother, Joan, who died after a brief battle with cancer.

Madonna’s mother died of cancer when the superstar was aged just five.

MADONNA’S TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO BROTHER

In a lengthy tribute on Instagram, Madonna, revealed she and her brother had reconnected when he became sick after years of not speaking.

“The last few years have not been easy

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.”

She ended the tribute by revealing his last moments.

Madonna posts a tribute to her brother that passed away after a cancer battle.

Life with My sister Madonna by Christopher Ciccone

Christopher Ciccone in 2008. Picture: Getty Images

“Once again, we held hands

We closed our eyes and we danced.

Together.

I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore.

There will never be anyone like him.

I know he’s dancing somewhere.”

PAIR’S CLOSE BOND BEFORE FEUD

Christopher and Madonna were extremely close in the early years of her career when she was just getting started, and he famously served as one of her backup dancers.

He later graduated to being the show designer and backstage dresser for Madonna, and he was the art director for her groundbreaking and influential “Blonde Ambition” world tour, which redefined the way top artists were seen in concert.

Christopher was also Madonna’s tour director for “The Girlie Show”, as well as directing music videos for music icons Tony Bennett and Dolly Parton.

Outside of the music industry, Christopher, also built a career as an interior designer, and launched a footwear line as he tried to establish his own identity.

Madonna intros brother #ChristopherCiccone on 2-12-84 on "The Dance Show." #keepittogetherpic.twitter.com/XptFRbvrcP

— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) October 5, 2024

In 2017, Christopher did an exclusive interview with The Sun and said he could have written another tell-all book about just how “horrific” his sister was.

He said: “I could have written that book, the book about how horrifying she is or can be, but I didn’t write that book.

“I was just looking for a little recognition for the work I’ve done for 20 years with her, that it wasn’t one person.”

Tributes poured in on social media with many Madonna fans noting that Christopher was instrumental in the early years of his sister’s career, and that his identity as a gay man in the end helped consolidate her appeal with fans.