Madonna poses for a photo with her brother Christopher Ciccone after the Golden Globes in 1997 . Photo: Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty

Madonna is remembering her late brother Christopher “Chris” Gerard Ciccone as a “visionary” who “danced through the madness” of life alongside her.

After a representative for Christopher confirmed to PEOPLE that the pop superstar’s sibling died of cancer on Friday, Oct. 4 at age 63, Madonna shared an emotional tribute on Instagram on Oct. 6, remembering her sibling as “the closest human to me for so long.”

Alongside a string of photos of herself and Christopher through the years at award shows and on set, Madonna, 66, began her message by detailing some of her early memories from their time together.

“Its hard to explain our bond. 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,” Madonna wrote. “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. Discovering dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too.”

Madonna poses with her brother Christopher Ciccone.Madonna/Instagram

After noting that a ballet teacher once “created a safe space for my brother to be gay,” Madonna wrote of how Christopher followed her when she “finally got the courage” to travel to New York and become a dancer.

“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,” Madonna recalled. “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.”

“We defied the Roman Catholic Church, the Police, the Moral Majority and all Authority figures that got in the way of Artistic freedom,” she added. “My brother was right by my side.”

Madonna and her brother Christopher Ciccone at the 70th Annual Academy Awards.KMazur/WireImage

Madonna then reflected on Christopher as “a painter, a poet and a visionary.”

“I admired him. He had impeccable taste. And a sharp tongue, which he sometimes used against me but I always forgave him,” she wrote.

“We soared the highest heights together and floundered in the lowest lows. Somehow, we always found each other again and we held hands and we kept dancing,” she added.

Madonna and her brother Christopher Ciccone.Madonna/Instagram

Christopher, who worked side-by-side with his sister during the early stages of her career, served as the art director of the singer’s Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and the production design lead for 1993’s The Girlie Show. He also offered his talents to Madonna as a backup dancer, dresser and creative consultant.

He is survived by his husband Ray Thacker, his father Silvio Ciccone and siblings Martin, Madonna, Paula, Melanie, Jennifer and Mario.

Later in life, 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 wrote upon the news of his death.

“The last few years have not been easy,” Madonna concluded her tribute to her brother. “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. 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,” she added. “There will never be anyone like him. I know he’s dancing somewhere.💔”