Christopher was 63 years old.

He and Madonna, 66, were very close in the early days of her career, and she hired him as one of her backing dancers.

He later became her show designer and backstage dresser and was the art director for her Blonde Ambition world tour and tour director for The Girlie Show.

In a tribute posted on social media, Madonna called her brother “the closest human to me for so long”.

She acknowledged a rift that had kep them apart for years, saying his cancer diagnosis brought them back together.

“He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, Which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him,” Madonna said.

“Somehow, we always found each other again and We held hands and we kept dancing. “The last few years have not been easy

“We did not speak for sometime but when my brother got sick. We found our way back to each other.”

Madonna reflected on their childhood together, and how they moved to New York together and “danced through the madness of New York City”.

He was in so much pain towards the end, “ she said.

“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.”

The tragic news comes just a few weeks after Madonna's stepmother, Joan Ciccone, died from a "very aggressive cancer".

The 81 year old - who was married to the singer's Silvio Ciccone - passed away "peacefully" on 24 September after a brief bout of ill health and a memorial posted online revealed her family's sadness over the loss.

With AAP.

Image: Instagram/Madonna/Getty