Madonna, Christopher Ciccone.Photo:Ethan Miller/Getty; Slaven Vlasic/WireImage
Ethan Miller/Getty; Slaven Vlasic/WireImage
Madonna’s younger brother,Christopher “Chris” Gerard Ciccone, has died. He was 63.
Christopher Ciccone in 2013.Mike Marsland/WireImage
Mike Marsland/WireImage
Christopher’s death comes shortly after that of his stepmother, Joan Gustafson Ciccone, whodied of cancerat age 81 in September. Last year, his eldest brother Anthonydiedof respiratory failure and throat cancer at age 66.
His mother, Madonna Louise Ciccone, died shortly after his birth in 1963 from breast cancer.
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Like his siblings, Christopher was raised in Michigan. He studied dance in college before moving to New York City to work with Madonna, 66, in her emerging career as a musician in several capacities.
Madonna and Christopher Ciccone after the Golden Globes in 1997.Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/Getty
Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times/Getty
The late creative also served as the art director of the singer’s iconic Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990, as well as the production design lead for 1993’s The Girlie Show.
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In addition to his art direction and production design duties, Christopher also worked as a dresser and creative consultant for his older sister, and even branched into interior design in 1985 after the “Material Girl” singer asked him to buy furniture for her new apartment.
“She had just marriedSean [Penn] and they had a two-bedroom apartment. She needed help buying some furniture, and there’s where my interest began for filling a space, designing a room, and working with a client,” Christopher later toldNorthern Expressof his first foray into interior design.
Madonna and Christopher Ciccone at the 1998 Oscars.KMazur/WireImage
KMazur/WireImage
He went on to design for other high-profile clients, including Manhattan restaurants and luxury condos, and direct music videos for artists includingDolly PartonandTony Bennett.
In his later years, Christopher returned to his home state “for work and to be closer to family,” his rep said.
He married Thacker, a British-born actor based out of Los Angeles, in 2016.
source: people.com