Madonna's Brother Christopher Ciccone Dies at 63, Less Than 2 Years After Brother Anthony's Death at 66

Madonna’s younger brother, Christopher “Chris” Gerard Ciccone, has died. He was 63.

A representative for Christopher confirmed to PEOPLE that he died of cancer on Friday, Oct. 4. He died “peacefully” with husband Ray Thacker by his side, the rep said in a statement.

Christopher is survived by Thacker; his father, Silvio Ciccone, and siblings Martin, Madonna, Paula, Melanie, Jennifer and Mario.

Christopher's death comes shortly after that of his stepmother, Joan Gustafson Ciccone, who died of cancer at age 81 in September. Last year, his eldest brother Anthony died of 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.

He worked side-by-side with his singing sibling during the early stages of her career, appearing as a backup dancer in some of her early videos, including those for "Everybody" and “Lucky Star.”

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 married Sean [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 told Northern Express of his first foray into interior design.

Following his "symbiotic collaboration" with sister Madonna, "Christopher continued to work: as an interior specialist; a designer of footwear; a memoirist — all the while dedicating himself to painting as his primary mode of personal expression,” his representative said in a statement.

He went on to design for other high-profile clients, including Manhattan restaurants and luxury condos, and direct music videos for artists including Dolly Parton and Tony 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.