Madonna reflects on losing her mother at just five years old in a new documentary.
In the Sky documentary Becoming Madonna, the 66-year-old pop legend opens up about how her mother’s death in 1963 at just 30 years old due to breast cancer, impacted her.
“What happened, you know, when I was [5] years old, it was just the greatest event of my life,” said Madonna about her mother, who she’s named after, Madonna Louise Ciccone. “It was like a part of my heart was ripped out.”
“I was forced to grow up fast and understand my mother’s death, to understand the psychological — all things that were going on. It was too much for a child I think,” she added, then explaining that she felt an “emptiness” afterward.
When asked about what she remembered about her mom, Madonna revealed that, “She was beautiful and sweet and a hard worker.”
In the same documentary, Madonna’s late brother, Christopher Ciccone, also shared how their mother’s death impacted the family. “I think when my mother died things changed emotionally with everybody,” Christopher said. “I know my father put a great deal more pressure on (Madonna) to be our guide. She was our mother’s namesake, and her name was Madonna. I mean, it either crushes you or edifies you or elevates you to something else.”
Last year on Mother’s Day, Madonna reflected on her Celebration Tour that paid tribute to her late mother.
"I stood on stage for 81 shows staring up at the beautiful face of my mother and wondering what she must’ve been thinking as she waved goodbye to me from her hospital window,” wrote Madonna on Instagram. “I stepped into the station wagon and shut the door not knowing it was the last time I’d see her.”
"Nobody told me my mother was dying — I just watched her disintegrate mysteriously, and then she disappeared, and there was no explanation except that she had gone to sleep, which explains my tumultuous relationship with sleep," Madonna continued. “When I stepped out on the stage and looked up at my mother's face every night, I said, 'Hello,' I said, 'Goodbye.' I said, 'Thank you. I hope you’re proud of me.' I said, 'Please protect me and keep me sane.' ”
Last October, Madonna paid tribute to Christopher who passed away from cancer that month by visiting his grave in Michigan. The singer documented the trip via Instagram Stories with her daughter, Lourdes.