Madonna's Brother and Collaborator Christopher Ciccone Has Died at the Age of 63

Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's younger brother and close collaborator, has reportedly died at the age of 63. Following the news of his death, many want to know more about exactly what happened to Christopher and what his relationship with Madonna was like.

Madonna, who was three years older than her brother, penned a lengthy tribute to him on Instagram following his death. Here's what we know about his cause of death and their relationship.

Christopher Ciccone died peacefully at his home on Oct. 4 after a battle with cancer, according to reporting from Entertainment Weekly.

"My brother Christopher is gone," Madonna wrote in her post. "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," she continued.

Christopher was gay, and his husband Ray Thacker was with him when he died. He also worked as the creative director on many of her tours, and she credited him with having amazing taste.

“When it came to good taste, my brother was the Pope, and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing," she said. "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.”

Madonna also said that she and Christopher had not been on speaking terms in recent years and that they reconciled following his diagnosis.

"The last few years have not been easy,” she explained. “We did not speak for some time, 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.”

Christopher was born on Nov. 22, 1960, and shared his sister's passion for music and dance. In 1982, he relocated from Oakland to New York City to support his sister's musical career.

Christopher also claimed that his sister was the person who outed him, referring to him as "gay" in 1991. The two collaborated together extensively during the earliest part of her career, in which he worked as her dresser and an interior decorator on her behalf. Although they were not always on great terms, they seem to have reconciled in more recent years.