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Popular American music star, Madonna, has lost her younger brother, Christopher Ciccone after a battle with late-stage cancer.
Madonna, via Instagram in an emotional tribute, described Ciccone who died on Friday at 63 as the “closest human to me”.
The 66-year-old actress, born Madonna Louise Ciccone, said they had not spoken for a while until Ciccone fell ill.
Acknowledging her brother’s efforts in her career growth, the singer revealed that their dance teacher “created a safe space” for Ciccone to be openly gay at a time when his sexual orientation was socially taboo.
She wrote: “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.
“Discovering dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too.
“My ballet teacher, also named Christopher created a safe space for my brother to be gay. A word that was not spoken or even whispered where we lived.
“When I finally got the courage to go to New York to become a dancer, my brother followed me. And again we took each other’s hands and danced through the madness of New City.
“We devoured art, music and film like hungry animals. We were in the epicenter of all of these things exploding. We danced through the madness of the AIDS epidemic.
“We went to funerals and we cried, and we went dancing. We danced together on the stage in the beginning of my career and eventually he became the creative director of many tours.
“When it comes to good taste, my brother was the Pope and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing. We defied the Roman Catholic Church, the police, the moral majority and all authority figures that got in the way of artistic freedom. My brother was by my the side.
“He was a painter, a poet and a visionary. I admired him. He has impeccable taste and a sharp tongue.
“… The last year has not been easy. We did not speak for sometimes 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.
“I’m glad he is not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he is dancing somewhere.”
