Madonna biography, age, net worth, dating history, kids, height 2025

Madonna's Biography

Madonna – the queen of pop music, writer, director, producer, fashion designer… in short, a creative force of nature. Her life story embodies the American dream, proving that with relentless drive, you can rocket from the bottom straight to the top. Most importantly, Madonna became the ultimate symbol of the 20th century sexual revolution.

Today, Madonna Louise Ciccone stands as one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in global entertainment. In 2024, her net worth was estimated at $850 million.

Childhood and Family

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan. Her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, of French-Canadian descent, worked as an X-ray technician. Her father, Silvio "Tony" Ciccone, of Italian-American heritage, was a design engineer at the Chrysler automobile factory.

Madonna's parents: Silvio and Madonna Ciccone

Madonna was the third child and first daughter in a family that later had two more sons and another daughter. As the first daughter, according to Italian traditions, she was named after her mother.

When Madonna was 5, her mother died from breast cancer. The 30-year-old woman was pregnant with her sixth child, and chemotherapy meant an inevitable miscarriage. Being a religious woman, she couldn't accept that. The child was born, and a few months later, the mother died. Her father remarried their housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and Madonna gained a half-brother, Mario, and a half-sister, Jennifer.

Madonna (center) with her brothers and sister

Madonna grew up in a devout Catholic family in a Detroit suburb. As she admits, she was not a popular child, seen as a bit of an oddball.

– People treated me harshly, but I didn't let them walk all over me, and I accentuated my difference.

Madonna was an exemplary student, disliked by her classmates but adored by her teachers. She didn't shave her armpits or wear makeup, took piano lessons, and studied jazz choreography.

The house where Madonna spent her childhood

But at 14, her goody-two-shoes reputation was shattered when she showed up to a school talent show in a bikini, her body painted with fluorescent colors. After a provocative dance to The Who's "Baba O'Riley," her father was furious, grounding her, and the school didn't forget her performance for a long time. Yet on stage, she finally felt herself. Since then, the concept of the "virgin/whore" has been a recurring theme in her work.

Madonna's mother loved to dance. Following in her footsteps, Madonna convinced her father to sign her up for ballet lessons. Later, in high school, she was a cheerleader. After graduating early, Madonna pursued a dance education at the University of Michigan. One of her teachers persuaded her to abandon her studies to pursue a career in dance. So, in 1977, Madonna dropped out of college and moved to New York with a few dollars in her pocket.

She could barely scrape by, living in poverty, working at Dunkin' Donuts, and collaborating with various dance groups. Now, Madonna recalls that period of her life as the most desperate:

– When I arrived in New York, it was the first time I'd been on a plane, even the first time I'd hailed a taxi — everything was a first. And I arrived with 35 dollars in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I've ever done in my life.

First Steps to Success

In 1979, Madonna danced for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez during his world tour and fell hard for musician Dan Gilroy. The pop diva and Gilroy then formed their first rock band, Breakfast Club. Madonna played drums, guitar, and sang.

At the dawn of her career, Madonna sang in a rock band

That same year, she appeared in the film "A Certain Sacrifice" for just a hundred dollars, playing a woman forced to submit to a man. Years later, Madonna attempted to buy the film's rights to erase all traces of what she considered an embarrassment, but was unsuccessful.

Madonna in the movie 'A Certain Sacrifice'

In 1981, Madonna split from Gilroy and began performing with the Emmy band alongside drummer Stephen Bray. Around the same time, she signed with Gotham Records, but the partnership quickly soured when Madonna's manager clashed with her creative vision. Soon after, with Bray's help, she cut a demo featuring four street-smart tracks ("Ain't No Big Deal", "Stay", "Burning Up", and "Everybody") and shopped it around independently.

Madonna's demo caught the attention of DJ and producer Mark Kamins, who spun records at Danceteria, a club where Madonna was a regular. Kamins connected the rising star with Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, landing her a deal for her debut single "Everybody". Both Kamins and Bray vied to become Madonna's manager while simultaneously being her romantic partners. It was a tough call, but Madonna ultimately went with Mark.

'Everybody', Madonna's very first clip

Because of her vocal style and the way she performed, many listeners initially assumed Madonna was Black after hearing "Everybody". The music video that followed, shot on just a $1,500 budget, cleared up the confusion.

Before recording and releasing her debut album, Madonna's producers decided to test the waters to see if her success was just a fluke. To do this, they commissioned a second maxi-single. If it became a hit, the producers said, they'd give the green light to record the album. A more experienced producer, Reggie Lucas, was chosen to replace Kamins. In collaboration with him, Madonna recorded the single "Burning Up" with the composition "Physical Attraction" on side B. A music video for the first song was released and made it into MTV's rotation.

Madonna's first music video was just a simple dance floor performance. But "Burning Up", with its suggestive shots of a liberated blonde writhing in languid ecstasy, was a real breakthrough in the music industry. Before Madonna, no female singer had dared to exploit the sexual theme so openly in music videos. Today, this is absolutely normal in the pop industry.

Madonna – Burning Up

Madonna's self-titled debut album hit record store shelves in July 1983. It featured eight synth-disco tracks. The album started at 190th position on the Billboard 200 chart. It took the album a full year to climb to the eighth spot. Critics' reviews were mixed. Many music critics accused Madonna of excessive sexuality and calculated "girlishness", predicting her "moment of glory" would last no more than six months. But Ciccone just laughed, saying she perfectly understood the image her work had created, but that didn't mean it was the only thing she could offer: "I have everything under control and I'm waiting for them to realize this and get confused."

Global Success

Madonna's second album, "Like a Virgin," was released in 1984 with a cheeky dedication to "all the virgins on the planet" printed right on the album cover's insert. Producer Nile Rodgers, fresh off his work with David Bowie on the "Let's Dance" album, caught Madonna's attention and landed the gig.

She performed the title track "Like a Virgin" at the very first MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. The singer hit the stage in a wedding dress and a "Boy Toy" belt buckle, rolling around on the floor and flashing her garter stockings and white underwear to the stunned audience. The performance was absolutely scandalous for 1984. Years later, witnesses would recall: "This was a defining moment for female empowerment. It's one of the most significant performances of the 20th century."

Madonna – Like a Virgin (MTV VMA 1984)

Riding the wave of her first success, Madonna starred in two films in 1985. Her first role was a cameo in "Vision Quest," where she played a club singer performing "Crazy For You." Then came "Desperately Seeking Susan," which gave the world "Into The Groove" and showcased Madonna's acting chops. Many critics still consider Susan her only truly successful film role.

Madonna in the movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan'

That same year, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour, "The Virgin Tour," across America with the Beastie Boys. Later, a music video for the song "Material Girl" was recorded, and Madonna started dating actor Sean Penn. Around the same time, Penthouse and Playboy published black and white nude photos of the singer from 1979. Madonna fought to block the photos' publication.

Madonna released her third studio album, "True Blue," in 1986. Rolling Stone described it as "sounding from the heart." The album included the ballad "Live to Tell," which the singer wrote for the film "At Close Range," starring her husband Sean Penn. The title itself was a nod to Penn—Madonna's pet name for him was "true blue," meaning loyal.

A shot from the movie 'Shanghai Surprise'

The album made Madonna a global star and topped the charts in 28 countries. The Guinness Book of World Records deemed the album absolutely unprecedented. The singer also participated in the filming of "Shanghai Surprise" and made her theatrical debut in "Goose and Tomtom" alongside Sean Penn.

Queen of Scandal

In 1986, Madonna released the music video for "Papa Don't Preach," tackling the controversial topic of teenage pregnancy. Her young character wants to keep her baby with the man she loves. The song unexpectedly sparked conflict between Catholics and pro-life advocates. Catholics criticized Madonna for promoting premarital sex, while pro-lifers praised what they saw as an anti-abortion message. Madonna herself, however, insisted the song protested patriarchal authority in all its forms – fathers, church, and society.

Madonna – Papa Don't Preach

In 1987, Madonna starred in "Who's That Girl" and recorded four songs for the soundtrack, including "Causing a Commotion."

In 1988, a four-meter statue of Madonna was erected in Pacentro, where the singer's ancestors lived.

In early 1989, Madonna signed a $5 million contract with Pepsi, debuting her new song "Like A Prayer" in the company's ad campaign. Both the music video and the ad sparked outrage among religious viewers – burning crosses appeared throughout the footage. The Vatican condemned the video and called for a Pepsi boycott, forcing the company to cancel its contract with the pop star. Madonna still kept her $5 million payday, and the scandal dominated headlines for months.

Madonna – Like a Prayer

In 1989, Madonna released the album "Like a Prayer," dedicating it to her late mother and family. The album explored Madonna's childhood, her mother's death, her relationship with her father, and female sexuality – particularly in "Express Yourself," directed by David Fincher.

Scene from the "Express Yourself" music video

In 1990, Madonna released the music video for "Justify My Love," co-written with Lenny Kravitz. MTV banned the video from the network due to its explicit sexual content, including references to homosexuality and sadomasochism. Music channels worldwide followed suit with similar bans. Madonna found a solution – she became the first artist to release a music video as a "video single."

Madonna – Justify My Love

The following year brought another scandal. The documentary "Truth or Dare" premiered, capturing her Blond Ambition World Tour – where Toronto police threatened to arrest Madonna for simulating masturbation onstage.

In 1992, Madonna founded her own entertainment company Maverick, diving into film production, music releases, and book publishing. The company's debut project was Madonna's provocative book "Sex," which revealed her sexual fantasies with the singer appearing under the pseudonym Dita. The book launched alongside the single "Erotica," complete with promotional photos of Madonna wielding a whip. Despite the mixed public reaction, the book became a bestseller. Over 500,000 copies of "Sex" flew off shelves in the first week alone, eventually selling 1.5 million copies total.

The release of the book was part of a well-thought-out promotion for the fifth album "Erotica", which was entirely dedicated to sex. However, the PR campaign backfired: while the album was expected to be a commercial hit, listeners saw it more as a soundtrack to the book, preventing "Erotica" from climbing to the top of the charts.

On March 31, 1994, Madonna came to the studio of "The Late Show with David Letterman". During the show, she said the word "f***" 14 times, handed the host her panties and suggested he sniff them, and when he refused, she said, "Money made you soft". This episode was the most censored in the history of the show.

That same year saw the release of "Bedtime Stories," marking yet another creative pivot for Ciccone. The title track was written by Björk. While the themes echoed her previous work, the sexuality was dialed way down and the lyrical content became more introspective. Fans particularly embraced the single "Secret," though the album as a whole received only lukewarm attention.

Passion for Kabbalah

Around 1997, Madonna dove deep into studying Kabbalah and Judaism as a whole. This led to more serene tones in her work and style. Before this, she had studied Buddhism, yoga, and the Vedas, but Kabbalah was what truly "turned her life upside down."

Just before this spiritual awakening, Madonna starred in the musical "Evita," based on the life of Argentine singer Eva Duarte, who later became the wife of dictator Juan Peron. The filming took place in South America, and Antonio Banderas was Madonna's filming partner. During pre-production, Madonna took vocal lessons, and you can definitely hear the results on her "Ray of Light" album released a year later - her most successful since "Like a Prayer."

November 1997: Madonna is working on new material

The album marked the singer's spiritual rebirth, shaped by major life changes - from becoming a mother (Madonna got pregnant after filming "Evita" and gave birth to daughter Lourdes with dancer Carlos Leon) to her romance with screenwriter Andy Bird. Madonna's songs shifted away from celebrating intimate pleasures to addressing environmental disasters and exploring universal, metaphysical themes. The 39-year-old star ditched her provocative looks and embraced sarees and face veils.

Madonna during the "Ray of Light" album period

The audience warmly received the new image, and in 1999 Madonna won three "Grammy" awards. Before this breakthrough, she'd only won one Grammy - back in 1991 for "best music video." The album proved Madonna could still compete with the boy bands and rising stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera who were dominating the charts.

Pop Queen of the World

"Ray of Light" set a high bar, but Madonna's 2000 album "Music" shattered her previous records with its distinctly American sound. The album spawned major hits including "Music," "Don't Tell Me," and "What It Feels Like for a Girl" – the latter's music video getting banned from MTV not for nudity, but for its violent content.

Madonna – What It Feels Like For A Girl

However, her attempts to conquer Hollywood proved disastrous. In 2000, Madonna starred in the romantic comedy "The Next Best Thing" with Rupert Everett. Her acting was critically panned. A year later, "Swept Away," directed by her then-husband Guy Ritchie, swept the Golden Raspberry Awards with five wins, including the brutal trifecta of "worst actress," "worst movie," and "worst director." Since then, Ritchie swore off directing his wife, and Madonna stuck to minor roles like her cameo in "Die Another Day" with Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.

However, 2003 marked Madonna's first major musical misstep. "American Life" saw Madonna tackling political issues and baring emotional wounds, refusing to be dismissed as a "mercenary girl." While not a complete commercial failure, it couldn't match her previous successes.

Her tenth studio album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005), marked Madonna's triumphant comeback. Notably, the first song, "Hung Up," became the biggest hit of Madonna's career.

Madonna – Hung Up

Madonna's twelfth album, MDNA, dropped on March 26, 2012. The album topped the charts in the UK and the US on its first day. However, success came with a dark side. Critics noted the album's dark tone, connecting it to Madonna's painful split from Jesus Luz. The music video for second single "Girl Gone Wild" was censored for explicit content. With minimal promotional support, the album became Madonna's worst-selling effort, surpassing even 2003's "American Life" as a commercial disappointment.

Madonna launched the MDNA Tour on May 31, which became 2012's most successful concert series. The shows sparked controversy in the US over her use of fake weapons on stage. Billboard named Madonna the highest earner in the music industry, earning $34.6 million in a year. In 2013, Madonna won 3 Billboard Music Awards. In August 2013, Forbes named the singer the highest-earning celebrity of the year, earning $125 million.

Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj – Bitch, I'm Madonna!

In December 2014, 13 demo tracks from Madonna's thirteenth studio album sessions leaked online. Furious over the leak, Madonna posted threatening messages targeting the hackers. A few days after the leak, on December 20, Madonna officially announced her thirteenth album, named Rebel Heart. The album was released on March 10, 2015.

In early 2018, Madonna announced on Instagram that she was working on her 14th studio album. Soon after, she unveiled a new song - Beautiful Game.

As part of promoting her upcoming album, Madonna performed at Eurovision in 2019. True to form, controversy followed: the event took place in Tel Aviv, and the singer took the stage wearing an eyepatch identical to Wotan, the father of gods from Richard Wagner's opera "The Valkyrie." In Israel, the works of this composer, known for his anti-Semitic views, are banned. Madonna also faced criticism for allegedly using autotune.

Rumors are swirling that she'll take on the lead role - silent movie star Norma Desmond - in the musical "Sunset Boulevard."

Designer and Entrepreneur

In 2010, Madonna starred in an advertising campaign for fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, which had long dreamed of collaborating with the pop icon. Together with her daughter, Lourdes, she launched her own youth clothing line, "Material Girl." A live album of the same name dropped that same year, quickly followed by the greatest hits collection "Celebration." That same year, Madonna took on screenwriting and directing duties for the film "W.E.," slated for summer 2011 release.

Madonna and her daughter Lourdes present a clothing line

In addition to all of this, Madonna opened a chain of fitness clubs named "Hard Candy" in honor of her 11th album.

Madonna's Personal Life

Madonna's romantic history could fill its own tell-all book, so we'll focus on her most scandalous and serious relationships.

Throughout her life, she often entered relationships with non-public men and was never shy about a large age difference.

Madonna's first serious relationship, which ended with marriage, was connected with actor Sean Penn. When they met in 1985, Madonna was dating Prince, but she quickly left him for the younger (Sean was two years her junior) film star with a bad-boy reputation. They met during the filming of the "Material Girl" music video. The lovers soon announced their engagement and were married on August 16, 1985.

Marriage quickly proved disappointing for Madonna. Both had explosive tempers and couldn't stop competing with each other. Penn's drinking only made things worse. By 1988, their marriage was basically over, and in 1989, Madonna filed for divorce.

Madonna broke up with her first husband with a scandal

One night, Penn broke into her house, tied her to a chair, and beat her for several hours. She managed to escape and get to the police station. Penn denied everything, but police were horrified by the pop star's bruised and bloodied face. But the case never went to court – Madonna asked prosecutors not to press charges against her ex-husband. "He always had problems with anger control," she later said.

Madonna spent the next several months recovering from the psychological trauma. In 1990, she started dating Warren Beatty, whom she met on the "Dick Tracy" set, and in 1991 had a brief fling with model Tony Ward, who appeared in her steamy "Justify My Love" video.

Pictured: Madonna and Warren Beatty (1990)

In 1992, she dated rapper Vanilla Ice. After they split, his career tanked, and the media started noticing a pattern: every man who dated Madonna seemed to suffer career disasters or personal tragedies after their breakup. This included rapper Tupac Shakur and basketball player Dennis Rodman, both of whom she dated in 1994.

Madonna dated Tupac. In 1996, the rapper was shot

Next, she got involved with her personal trainer Carlos Leon and had a daughter, Lourdes, with him in 1997.

Carlos Leon – the father of Madonna's daughter

Madonna's friend, actress Elizabeth Taylor, urged her to marry Carlos so Lourdes would have a father. But this time, it was Carlos who started losing interest in the relationship. A proud man with a hot temper, he was frustrated by his girlfriend's very public lifestyle. All the attention went to her, while he stayed in the shadows as "Mr. Madonna."

When Lourdes was a year old, the paparazzi caught Carlos in the company of another woman. True to form, he kept quiet about the breakup details and turned down all multi-million dollar offers from journalists trying to dig into their relationship. He didn't disappear from Madonna and Lourdes' life, and always tried to spend his free time with his daughter.

Lourdes Ciccone: as a child and 20 years later

The singer then had a brief relationship with screenwriter Andy Bird, which ended in 1998 after his careless comment to journalists: "Well, we have a passionate relationship, but we need to work on it." After the breakup, she realized she was pregnant. The woman immediately refused to have an abortion. She faced a dilemma: whether to tell Bird about the pregnancy or not. But fate decided for her—she miscarried.

In the same year, at a party at Sting's, Madonna met British director Guy Ritchie. Within days, they grew close. The director was 10 years younger than the artist and had just brilliantly presented his debut film "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" to the public. As it turned out, Ritchie knew Madonna would be at the party and went with one goal—to meet her.

At the same time, he always treated the singer not as a star, but as an ordinary person. "He called me Madge and made me wash his car," she recalled. Their romance evolved rapidly. In 1999, Ritchie, accidentally meeting Madonna's ex-lover, Bird, in a park, punched him in the face.

In 2000, Madonna and Guy Ritchie tied the knot, and soon after she gave birth to their son, Rocco. In 2005, they adopted a black boy from Malawi, whom they named David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie. Later, after their divorce, she adopted three more girls: first Chifundo in 2006, then twins Stella and Esther in 2012.

Rocco is the son of Madonna and Guy Ritchie

The exact reason for their split remains unknown, but Madonna's fans believe Ritchie grew tired of her obsession with Kabbalah. In 2008, the singer publicly announced her divorce.

After this, Madonna turned her attention to 22-year-old Brazilian Jesus Luz. Their relationship lasted a year before they broke up due to "personality differences." Or, as gossips claimed, the young man simply got tired of being the pop diva's plaything.

Then the singer dated breakdancer Brahim Zaibat for more than three years, and in 2014 she was spotted in a relationship with dancer Timor Steffens. In 2017, the singer was rumored to be romantically involved with 32-year-old Portuguese model Kevin Sampaio. In the summer of 2018, there were rumors about their upcoming wedding, but by the end of 2019, they had broken up.

In 2020, Madonna's preference for younger men continued. The 61-year-old diva vacationed on a private island with 25-year-old dancer Ahlamalik Williams.

Then she was linked to 24-year-old Andrew Darnell and 30-year-old Josh Popper.

Madonna Now

In the summer of 2019, Madonna's new studio album "Madame X" was released, inspired by her life in Portugal, where the singer moved in 2017. When asked about the title, she answered:

Madame X is a secret agent. Traveling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light to dark places. She is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A prisoner. A student. A mother. A child. A teacher. A nun. A singer. A saint. A whore. The spy in the house of love. I'm Madame X.

After releasing the dance remix collection "Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones" in the summer of 2022, Madonna announced a massive tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her recording career. It was planned to take place in the summer of 2023, but due to health issues (Madonna was hospitalized in July due to a bacterial infection), the singer had to postpone it to the fall.

Madonna: latest news and articles

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Chase Jayden Kelly

Madonna will stay in the history forever. How many years she is making people happy with her creative work and she is not stopping surprise us.

2021-04-22 15:47:38
Teresa Schultz

I`m not really a fan of Madonna but she is making a good music with quality, not to mention her incredibly appearance in that age.

2021-04-10 16:53:21
Melanie Butler

I was listening Madonna even on the cassette :) I remember her scandal with Linda that Madonna stole her idea for the video clip lmao :)

2021-03-07 17:57:15
Ruth Hicks

Madonna is cool, the idol of the generation, I would say even of the whole era! I think every singer is dreaming to have a duo with her.

2021-02-14 08:10:38
Virginia Jones

There is no person who doesn`t know Madonna :) She is recognizable by any generation. But to be honest I don`t like her music but I think she is great and legend anyway.

2021-01-03 18:10:41
Mark Medzorian

Birthday girl happy pre- birthday celebration Your turning 60.

2018-08-16 08:17:57

Photos: Madonna