Madonna Gets Personal On New Album With Tribute to Her Late Brother: ‘It’s Like an Exorcism’

Madonna has written an emotional song on her new album about the death of her brother Christopher Ciccone.

Ciccone died aged 63 in October 2024 from cancer in Michigan, having been her tour director in the past.

And speaking to the BBC the singer says the final weeks of his life inspired her to write a heartfelt track for Confessions II.

The 67-year-old said: “I actually came to the studio, and I spoke to my brother, who was in a lot of pain on the phone, and he was not in a good place, and I knew that it was close to the end. Then I went upstairs and wrote a song, so it was all connected to what was happening in my life”

“It’s cathartic. It’s like a kind of therapy, you know, to let go of somebody that you love,” she added. “The best way to do it is to write about it…it’s like an exorcism.”

The track in question is called “Fragile,”  while a second track on the album called “The Test” she sings with her daughter Lourdes Leon.

The dance album, an hour-long continuous mix of 16 songs, will be released on July 3.

At the time of Ciccone’s death, Madonna also posted on social media about him in tribute.

“My brother Christopher is gone,” she said on Instagram, per People. “He was the closest human to me for so long. Its hard to explain our bond.”

She also wrote about how discovering dance saved them both, and how her ballet teacher “created a safe space for my brother to be Gay.”

As per a 2024 BBC report, the pair fell out for a period around the early 2000s, with Ciccone saying at the time his relationship with Madonna came under strain after she married her ex-husband, film director Guy Ritchie.

Speaking about reuniting prior to his death, Madonna added: “The last few years have not been easy. 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,” she told the outlet at the time. “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’s not suffering anymore, there will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.”