An iconic pop star whose rise to fame began in the 1980s is mourning the loss of a sibling this week, marking the end of a sometimes-turbulent relationship between the two.

As the Hollywood Reporter details, Christopher Ciccone, brother of Madonna, died on Friday at the age of 63 following a battle with cancer.

Varied career in music, arts, remembered

Though perhaps famous largely due to his close association with one of pop music's all-time megastars, Christopher Ciccone was a dancer and choreographer in his own right during the earlier part of his career.

Later, his sister invited him to join her staff as a dresser and creative consultant at a time when her legendary industry run was just getting underway.

Christopher's contributions to Madonna's career included directing roles in some of her best-known music videos and tours, including 1993's The Girlie Show.

He also served as art director on the memorable Blond Ambition World Tour back in 1990, just before he and his sister suffered a well-publicized falling out in the early part of that decade, a split after which he went on to establish a second phase of his professional life as a celebrated artist and interior designer.

Rift with Madonna laid bare

Christopher Ciccone was not shy about discussing the rift he experienced with his famous sister, later explaining his frustration that she outed him as gay in a 1991 magazine interview and also suggesting that she had told an overly dramatized, even “mythologized” story of her early arrival in New York City.

He also went into detail about his dislike for his sister's then-husband, Guy Ritchie, someone Christopher claimed was homophobic and unwelcoming.

In 1998, Ciccone revealed that the breaking point for him in terms of his ties to Madonna came when she arranged for cameras to follow her to their mother's grave during filming for her Truth or Dare documentary.

He recalled, “I kept it inside but I thought to myself, 'OK, there are no boundaries now.' You know, my mother's now become a side -- a bit player in her life, life story, and it hurt me.”

Eventually, by the time 2012 rolled around, there appeared to have been some form of detente reached between Madonna and her brother, with Ciccone suggesting to CBS News that the relationship had been mended and telling The Evening Standard that the two had resumed contact and were back to “being a brother and sister,” adding that his sister's blend of talents “has made her great and left a huge legacy for her, and through her, for me.”

Star's final tribute

Despite their relationship ups-and-downs, Madonna took to Instagram on Sunday to pay tribute to her late brother, whom she described as “the closest human to me for so long,” as ABC News noted.

The pop legend said of their bond, “We soared the highest heights together and floundered in the lowest lows” and declared, “I'm glad he's not suffering anymore. There will never be anyone like him. I know he's dancing somewhere.

Madonna ended her post with a broken heart emoji in what could be interpreted as a clear sign of the tremendous loss she and Christopher's husband and many other loved ones all surely feel.