Madonna breaks silence over younger brother Christopher Ciccone's death with emotional tribute

Madonna has released an emotional statement following the news of her .

Christopher Ciccone has died at the age of 63, with his cause of death being confirmed as cancer. Now the iconic songstress, 66, has released an emotional post on to share her sorrow.

, who shared a reel of images of the pair, started: "My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long. Its hard to explain our bond."

She continued: "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."

Madonna went on to describe a dance school saved both her and her brother. "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.

"And again we took each other’s hands, and we danced through the madness of New York City! We devoured Art and 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 stage in the beginning of my career and eventually, he became the Creative Director, of many tours. When it came to good taste, my brother was the Pope, and you had to kiss the ring to get his blessing."

The pop icon claimed the pair "defied" establishments, including the Roman Catholic Church and the police force. She explained how throughout her rise to fame, her brother had been right by her side.

"He was a painter a poet and a visionary," she gushed. "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."

However, she admitted the pair "always found each other again". She then went on to explain the tough times the pair had faced, including a number of estranged years. But she revealed how her brother falling ill meant they were able to put aside their differences.

"I did my best to keep him alive as long as possible," she confessed. "He was in so much pain towards the end. Once again, we held hands. We closed our eyes and we danced. Together."

Madonna ended by saying she was glad her brother was no longer suffering and said: "I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore.. There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere."

The news of his death came just days after the death of the pair's step mother. Joan Clare Ciccone, died on September 24 after a brief but aggressive battle with cancer.

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000

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