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Madonna is one of the most influential women of the 20th century. Madonna - biography Madonna biography personal life

Madonna is a shocking singer who has become famous all over the world not only beautiful voice, but also the manner of behavior in speeches and in life.

The image of the American queen of show business is criticized, discussed, copied, admired and horrified, but not forgotten for many years. Pop star made history music industry as a singer, dancer, actress, author of many popular songs, as well as a director and screenwriter.

Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ishot71/

In many of her works, Madonna uses political, sexual and religious attributes, breaking the stereotypes established by society. Her actions are condemned and hated, while others admire her courage and independence from the opinions of others. They have only one thing in common: the name Madonna has been on everyone's lips for decades.

How did an ordinary girl manage to reach the very pinnacle of fame? Is the path to world fame so easy? You will find the most interesting facts about the biography, career and personal life of world stars on our website.

Biography of Madonna

The name Madonna comes from the Italian words mia donna, meaning "my mistress". Madonna Louise Ciccone is the real name of the singer, inherited from her mother. The girl's pious mother decided to perform the Catholic rite of chrismation when she was 12 years old. For this, the name Veronica was chosen, which is not official.

2. Horoscope and parameters

To date, the singer is 59 years old. With a height of 1 m 58 cm, she weighs 47 kg. The great performer, born in the year of the dog, according to the sign of the zodiac is a lion.

3. Childhood

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born on 08/16/1958 in Bay City, located on the Huron coast, in the state of America Michigan.

Her father, Silvio Ciccone, is of Italian descent. All his life he held the position of a design engineer in the largest automobile corporation for the production of cars Chrysler / General Motors.

Madonna Louise Ciccone Sr., after whom the future singer was named, was a Canadian. She worked in one of the radiographic laboratories of her native city. IN free time the woman played the piano well and had a pleasant voice. But she did not even think about developing her singing talent.

The parents were so happy with the third child, the only girl at that time, that they decided to name her in honor of her mother. In total, there were six children in the family.

4. Early loss

The French roots of her mother were strongly reflected in her piety, which at times reached fanaticism. Her descendants were Jansenists, ready to be martyred for their faith. Madonna's mother was also a staunch Catholic.

When Ciccone the eldest was pregnant with her last child, she was diagnosed with a malignant breast tumor. Due to her religious beliefs, she refused to have an abortion, considering it a murder, and also did not agree to the treatment of the disease throughout her pregnancy. A few months after the birth of the last baby, she died. At that time, she was barely 30. So the girl at the age of five was left without maternal care.

Madonna the Younger was very worried and could not come to terms with the fact that she had lost her most beloved and dear person. This event played a crucial role in her later life and was reflected in the work of the singer.

5. Greedy and envious stepmother

2 years after the tragic death of his beloved wife, Silvio decided to marry a second time. Raising six children alone became unbearable for him. His chosen one was the maid - Joan Gustafson - an ordinary woman from the people, the complete opposite in character and manners of the deceased Ciccone.

The first-born of a young married couple died, but soon they had two more children - son Mario and daughter Jennifer. All my maternal love and the woman gave affection to her own children, she did not like her husband's babies and tried in every possible way to humiliate. The father, despite this, forced his children to call their hated stepmother "mother." A protest broke out in the little Madonna. It seemed to her that her father had betrayed the memory of her own mother. The girls are having a hard time.

Although the family was considered quite prosperous, this could not be said from the children. Joan, a Protestant by birth, saved absolutely everything. The children had the cheapest clothes, sewn with their own hands, from the food in the refrigerator there were semi-finished products of average quality. The methods of raising her stepmother reminded her of a non-commissioned officer, which aggravated the already heated situation in the house.

6. Difficulties in the family

Unable to withstand the cruel trials of fate, the girl's older brothers - Anthony and Martin - became addicted to drugs. They no longer controlled themselves and constantly mocked the poor thing. My father often took a sip of the bottle. The boorish maid Joan was never able to replace his beloved woman.

Madonna had a hard time. She was humiliated, insulted, mocked, but she did not allow herself to be trampled into the dirt. Having suffered from drug addict brothers, an alcoholic father and a harmful stepmother, she decided that she would never do this. She wanted a completely different life.

7. School years

The girl studied at the Catholic School of St. Frederick and St. Andrew, attended West Middle School. For a long time she was a cheerleader for the local basketball team. Craving for dancing was born in her in childhood. The father wanted his daughter to get a profession that could bring the family a stable, guaranteed income. He saw the girl as a lawyer or a doctor and did not want to hear anything about dancing. With the mental data of Madonna (her IQ was 140 points), it was possible to enter any institute or university on a budgetary basis.

Despite her father's categorical attitude, she managed to persuade him to send her to a circle ballet dances. Her mentor was Christopher Flynn, a good gay teacher. He managed to instill in the girl confidence in her beauty and uniqueness. Flynn not only taught her how to dance, but also took her to various nightclubs. There Madonna saw life for what it is. Going to gay clubs enlightened her about sex.

At the age of 16, she managed to seduce her teacher, who temporarily forgot her orientation.

The future celebrity graduated from high school at Rochester Adams High School. Here she had the opportunity to participate in musicals and other stage productions.

8. Girl "hello"

Despite good grades and great success at school, little Ciccone was odd. The teachers had high hopes for her and tried their best to help. To this day, she considers one of her teachers, Marilyn Fallows, the main person of her youth.

She failed to win the respect and friendship of her peers. Classmates did not like her for exemplary behavior and study, many envied her. Madonna led an aloof life, avoided noisy companies, did not allow guys to approach her. The girls laughed behind her back, sometimes publicly ridiculed her isolation. The boys paid no attention to the girl. They were repelled by their peculiar appearance and inner world future performer.

9. Tipping point

When the singer was 14, the school held a competition for the most talented students. It was then that the modest girl decided to show herself in all her glory. Painted in green and red paints, in mini-shorts and a tank top, the young lady annealed to the popular single "Baba O'Riley", performed by the group " The Who". The people were in shock, the trick was on everyone's lips. Everyone forgot about the long-term reputation of a nerd girl.

The father was furious and put his daughter under lock and key. Brothers and sisters blushed in front of the guys for Madonna's ugly trick. The nickname "whore" and the image of a dissolute, unscrupulous girl stuck to her.

In 1976, the girl externally takes exams and graduates from school. Despite her father, she continues to dance at one of the universities of Michigan on a free basis. Christopher Flynn takes over as professor.

After finishing her second year, the girl drops out and moves to New York with great hopes of opening her own music studio. Thus begins a long and difficult path to world fame.

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Madonna's career

10. Hard start

The ambitious girl had about $35 in her pocket. It was all her savings at the time. In order to somehow survive in a huge metropolis, she participates in all musical auditions, tries to get a backup dancer for little-known groups. Part-time jobs at Dunkin' Donuts and Burger King did not bring in significant income.

The poor fellow had to beg for a piece of bread and dig through the garbage for food. She moved around the city on an old bicycle, lived illegally in the studio premises. But Ciccone did not give up.

In the 80s, Madonna was taken to the Breakfast Club. Then she organizes the troupe "Madonna And the Sky", which soon breaks up. The later-founded rock band Emmy also turns out to be a failure.

In 1981, luck smiled at the dancer for the first time. Fate pushed her against Gotham Camilla Barbon, who owns her own recording studio.

11. First successes

Camille resolutely took on a strange but promising person and acted as a manager. In one of the institutions in Manhattan, Madonna met DJ Mark Keimins. Her records impress the guy, and he organizes an audition for the girl on "Island". Chris Blackwell, head of the label, criticized the works of the young lady to the nines.

Persistent Mark decided not to give up and took the tapes to Warner Bros. The CEO of the company appreciated the talent of the rising star. From this moment, endless recording of albums, videos and the most hit songs of the performer begins.

12. Recording the first single and debut album

The first single, "Everybody", recorded at Warner Bros., skyrocketed to bronze on Hot Dance Club Songs", although the budget for its promotion was zero. The song fell 7 positions short of hitting the "Hot 100" published by Billboard magazine.

To make sure of the singer's success, the second single "Burning Up" is being recorded, exactly repeating the popularity of the first one. The song takes 3rd place in the charts. Recordings of the performer begin to recognize and love, they sing along, dance to them.

A little later, Madonna rented a recording studio for the first time to create her debut album, released in 1983, called "Madonna". The songs "Borderline", "Lucky Star" and "Holiday" become hits. Still, the album does not have the deafening popularity that Madonna herself would like.

13. Second album and long-awaited fame

The following year (1984) the album "Like a Virgin" is released, which takes the first position in the "hot" hundred "Billboard" for 2 months. In total, 26,000,000 copies of the album were sold.

In the same year, the singer gets to the grand event of the MTV Video Music Awards, where she performs the main track of the second album. The single "Like a Virgin" was recognized as a cult among two hundred other American musical compositions.

14. Further successes and peak of popularity

On the creation of the third album "True Blue". All songs are saturated with tenderness and love. The album achieves commercial success. The author's song "Live to Tell" takes the first position in the "hot" hundred Billboard.

For all my time musical creativity, the celebrity has released more than 11 successful albums, often toured countries, surprising enthusiastic fans with innovative concerts. Thanks to her image, outrageousness and originality, the performer left a centuries-old mark in the music industry.

The singer has collaborated with many famous performers: Prince, Lenny Kravitz, William Orbit, Ricky Martin, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Benassi Bros.

15. Acting

Throughout her life, Madonna starred in 20 films, where she played a variety of roles. At the beginning of the 90th, the film "Dick Tracy" was released.

In the 1991 documentary In Bed with Madonna, she was given the opportunity to play herself. The picture is recognized as one of the ten best-selling documentaries of all time.

In 1992, Ciccone starred in the film A League of Their Own, where she played a baseball player named Mae Mordabito.

The following year, a film appeared at the box office called " dangerous game". Here the woman got the main role. The actress got used to the image so much that the picture seemed to come to life and become a reality.

In 2007, she realized herself as a screenwriter and director in the film Filth and Wisdom.

Madonna's personal life

16. Little girl's first adult relationship

For the first time, the singer entered into an intimate relationship at the age of 15. The chosen one of the girl was 17-year-old Russell Long. The connection between young people was for the girl more a challenge to her father than caused by love feelings. The constant control of the pope and Catholic prohibitions influenced Madonna's decision.

In the future, this was reflected not only in the life of the performer, but also in her creative activity.

17. First husband

The first official husband of a woman - Sean Penn - appeared in the life of a star in 1985. Their romance developed rapidly, in the same year they legalized their relationship.

The marriage of young people was doomed to failure. Sexy Madonna attracted the attention of men, loved to flirt, thereby provoking a life partner. The husband had a heightened sense of ownership. He was jealous of his wife for everyone he met. Therefore, scandals and fights often broke out in the family, ending for the girl in an emergency room.

4 years after the wedding, the couple broke up. In another of the scandals, Sean beat his wife half to death, after which she reported him to the police and filed for divorce.

18. The birth of a daughter

After recovering from her first failed marriage, Madonna decides to start a new relationship. This time, the actor and coach Carlos Leon became the beloved of the American diva. In 1996, the couple's first child, the charming Lourdes Maria, was born. But the birth of a baby does not prevent the couple from dispersing. At the time of the breakup, the girl was barely 6 months old.

19. New relationship

In 1998, at one of the secular parties, the British drew attention to Madonna. A couple of years later, the couple gets married. A chic wedding took place in one of the oldest castles in Scotland. In the same year in married couple a second child appeared - baby Rocco.

After 6 years of family life, happy parents decide to adopt a black boy, David Banda. According to the public, it was this act that provoked discord in the family. Two years after the adoption, the couple separated.

20. Without a husband, but not alone

Despite the divorce from her husband, the woman did not despair, and in the same year she took custody of the Malawian baby Mercy.

In 2017, African twins appeared in the family - Stella and Esther, 4 years old.

Singer Madonna is the real queen of the American stage. Moreover, she boasts not only that she sings. Madonna is also a fashion designer, director, producer and an acclaimed writer. It is true that a talented person is talented in everything. And the life story of this woman, one might say, is a direct embodiment of a dream. Madonna's story shows that self-confidence and hard work will help you rise to the top, even if you are at the very bottom. One of the main facts about her is that Madonna was able to become a real sex symbol of the last century.

Currently, the outrageous singer has not lost her popularity and charisma. Thanks to what she was and remains one of the richest women in the world, with a corresponding level of influence.

Madonna is a singer with character. And even despite her not the youngest age, this versatile creative person still has an impressive army of fans, not only among men, but also among women. The latter, by the way, are most often interested in what the performer's height, weight, age are. How old is Madonna - one of the most popular questions regarding the singer. Especially considering how popular plastic surgery is among American stars.

We inform you that this year Madonna is going to celebrate her sixtieth birthday. But the fact that she was able to maintain such a level of activity is not surprising. After all, in her youth she was a cheerleader, even despite her small stature. With a height of 163 cm, she now weighs 54 kg. Madonna's photo in her youth and now is easy to find on the net - she was and remains a very beautiful woman.

Biography and personal life of Madonna

The full name of the singer is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. She was born in August 1958. Her father, Silvio Ciccone, worked as a design engineer at the Chrysler car factory. And my mother - Madonna Louise Ciccone - took x-rays.

The girl was a modest honors student, but this role was shattered to smithereens at the school talent competition when Madonna turned 14. She went on stage in a swimsuit, and her body was smeared with fluorescent paint. The dance to the song of The Who turned out to be very cheeky. She lost the competition, was put under house arrest at home, and at school she was called a whore for a long time. Madonna herself recalled that then on the stage she “found herself” and realized who she should be. And the concept of “shy whore” stuck with her in her career.

The debut album "Madonna" was released in the summer of 83 and received mixed reviews from critics. Most of them reproached the aspiring singer for being too sexual and claimed. She won't last long on stage.

The biography and personal life of Madonna has always attracted a lot of attention from fans. The woman is already known for the fact that she had a huge amount romantic relationship and she was only married twice. Moreover, often, men were younger and even much younger than herself. Madonna never had a happy and strong relationship.

Filmography: films starring Madonna

The filmography of the actress replenished quite rapidly, but this part of the career did not develop as well as the musical one.

Madonna can be seen in such films as "Visual Search", "Shanghai Surprise", "Broadway Bloodhounds", "A Dangerous Game" and others.

Madonna's family and children

In the life of Madonna there were countless novels with different men public and not. Some were even a few years younger, but the age difference never bothered the singer, and she calmly appeared with her boyfriends in front of the camera. Madonna's family and children are a rather sensitive topic. Officially, the artist was married to actor Sean Penn, director Guy Ricci. But both marriages ended up in painful breakups.

Meanwhile, Madonna gave birth to only one of her two own children while she was married. She gave birth to a son from Guy Ricci, but her daughter became an "illegitimate" child from her personal trainer Carlos Leon. The singer was in a relationship with him a few years before her marriage to Ricci.

Madonna's son - Rocco John Ricci

Madonna's son, Rocco John Ricci, is the singer's own son and second child, whom she gave birth to in 2001, being in her second marriage to director Guy Ricci. The boy grew up like all children, studied well at school. But, as with many children famous parents, Rocco, as he grew older, began to have behavioral problems. Drinking, nightclubs and all that goes with it. Until, in the end, everything ended in a grandiose scandal, the cause of which was that Rocco is a drug addict.

It is now known that 17-year-old Rocco found a job as a courier, lives separately from his mother and even entered into a relationship with a girl named Kimberly Turnbull.

Adopted son of Madonna - David Banda Malave Ciccone-Ricci

Madonna's adopted son, David Banda Malave Ciccone-Ricci, was adopted by the couple in 2005. A black boy from Malawi immediately attracted attention from the press. And the reason was that the process of adopting a child from Africa turned into a real scandal.

When all the documents were prepared, and Madonna was about to pick up the child, the boy's relatives suddenly showed up, who wanted in every possible way to prevent the singer from taking David away from Malawi. But in the end, everything ended well, David Ciccone-Ricci nevertheless found a new home and a large family for himself.

Madonna's Daughter - Lourdes Maria Ciccone

Madonna's own daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone, became the first-born of the artist and her "illegitimate" child. The singer gave birth to a girl from her personal trainer Carlos Leon, with whom at that time she was simply in a relationship. But the wedding, although unplanned, still did not take place. As a result, the girl stayed with her mother.

Now she is 21 years old. Like her older brother, the girl attracts the attention of the press for not the most pleasant occasion. Previously, a beautiful and extravagant girl, who was even called the “mini-Madonna”, completely stopped monitoring her own appearance, thereby becoming a real find for the yellow press.

Adopted daughter of Madonna - Mercy James Ciccone

Another one stepdaughter Madonnas - Mercy James Ciccone was also taken to the opera from Malawi, Africa. Recall that the adopted son of the artist, David, is also from there. But the registration of guardianship of the girl began after the singer's divorce from her last husband.

It is worth noting that even in this case it was not without scandals. In many newspapers, the news of yet another unexpected custody was called a "case for the sale of children." And the thing is that in Malawi at that time it was forbidden to give children under the care of foreign "parents". However, Mercy also left for America with Madonna and now lives with her star mother.

Madonna's ex-husband - Sean Penn

Madonna's ex-husband, Sean Penn, and the singer herself met back in 1985, when the performer was in a relationship with singer Prince. It happened on the set of one of the artist's videos, and the woman quickly became interested in an actor who was a couple of years younger than her. They got married that same year, but the marriage fell apart four years later.

It is known that some time later, Penn made his way into the house of the singer and brutally killed her. But Madonna managed to escape and get to the police station. Penn denied the beating, although the woman's injuries spoke for themselves. The singer asked not to start a criminal case, as her ex has always poorly controlled anger.

Madonna's ex-husband - Guy Ricci

Madonna's ex-husband - Guy Ricci - met the future in 98, at a party at the singer Sting. In the process of communication, it turned out that the novice director was ten years younger than the artist, and he came to the party only to get to know Madonna, because he knew in advance that she would be there.

They got married in 2000, and very soon the singer gave birth to Guy's son. Five years later, the couple adopted a boy from Africa. Their marriage lasted eight years. True reason the divorce is still unknown, but there are rumors that the man was simply fed up with his wife's strong passion for bondage. But there were no official statements.

When the singer was just starting her career, none of the fans even thought to doubt natural beauty this woman. But the years passed, and the woman did not age. Hot photos of Madonna before and after plastic surgery are easy to find on the Internet.

A photo in a bathing suit, for example, or pictures allegedly leaked to the network where the singer is naked. Although officially the fans were presented only practically bare chest Madonnas. The performer herself completely denies the fact of surgical intervention, but medical specialists agreed that the singer did a facelift and nose job. In addition, he does not disdain the famous "beauty injections".

Instagram and Wikipedia Madonna

Instagram and Wikipedia Madonna exist in full. The singer's official Instagram profile contains photos from magazine covers, photos with her children, nature shots and announcements of future performances. In total there are about 3.5 thousand photos and videos. And subscribed to the page of the performer 11.5 million fans.

As for Wikipedia, there you will see a brief information about herself and her family, as well as a complete list of awards and a lot of information about the development of a career. Up to release chronology music albums. In any case, this information will be interesting and useful to all fans of this outrageous artist.

Madonna is the queen of pop music, writer, director, producer, fashion designer ... in a word, a multifaceted and creative person. The story of her life is the embodiment of the American dream, she proves that with amazing diligence, you can make a rapid rise from the bottom to the very top. But most importantly, Madonna has become a symbol of the sexual revolution of the 20th century.

Today Madonna Louise Ciccone is one of the richest and most influential women in the world of show business. In 2018, her fortune was estimated at $580 million.

Childhood and family

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. The mother of the celebrity, Madonna Louise Fortin, came from a family of French Canadians, worked as an x-ray technician. His father, Italian-American Silvio "Toni" Ciccone, was a design engineer at the Chrysler car factory.

Madonna became the third child and the first daughter in the family, where two more sons and a daughter were subsequently born. As the first daughter, in accordance with Italian traditions, she received the name of her mother.

When Madonna Jr. turned 5, her mother died of breast cancer. A 30-year-old woman was carrying her sixth child, and chemotherapy meant an inevitable miscarriage. Being a religious woman, she couldn't go for it. The child was born, and a few months later the mother died. The father remarried to the family's maid, Joan Gustafson. So the girl had half-brother Mario and sister Jennifer.

Madonna grew up in a devout Catholic family in the suburbs of Detroit. As the singer admits, she was not a universal favorite in childhood, everyone considered her a girl "with regards."

- They treated me cruelly, but I did not allow to wipe my feet on myself and only emphasized my alienness.

Madonna was an exemplary excellent student, for which her classmates did not like her, but the teachers adored her. She did not shave her armpit hair and did not make up, she took piano lessons and jazz choreography.

But at the age of 14, the reputation of a good girl was destroyed: on school competition talent she came in a bikini and her body was painted with fluorescent paints. After a cheeky dance to "Baba O'Riely" by The Who, her father became furious and put Madonna under house arrest, and at school they remembered this performance for a long time, calling her a "whore." The girl herself, being on stage, finally felt like who she is. And the concept of "virgin/whore" has been a leitmotif through her work ever since.

The mother of the future celebrity loved to dance. The daughter followed in her footsteps and convinced her father to sign her up for ballet lessons. Later, in high school, she performed on the cheerleading team. After graduating from school as an external student, Madonna received a choreographic education at the University of Michigan. One of the teachers convinced her not to waste time studying, but to build a career as a dancer. So in 1958, Madonna dropped out of college and moved to New York with a couple of tens of dollars in her pocket.

She barely made ends meet, lived in poverty, worked at Dunkin' Donuts and collaborated with a number of 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 flew by plane, the first time I even called a taxi - everything was the first time. And I came with $35 in my pocket. It was my most courageous act in my life.

First steps to success

In 1979, Madonna danced with French disco artist Patrick Heronandez during his world tour and went crazy for musician Dan Gilroy. With the latter, a little later, the pop diva created her first rock band called the Breakfast Club. Madonna played drums and guitar, and also sang.

In the same year, she starred in the film "A Specific Victim" for a fee of one hundred dollars, playing a sex slave. Years later, Madonna attempted to buy the rights to the film in order to destroy all reminders of this infamy, but she never succeeded.

Madonna in the film "Specific Victim"

In 1981, Madonna broke up with Gilroy and began singing in the band Emmy along with drummer and Stephen Bray. At the same time, the girl signed a contract with Gotham Records, but the cooperation was short-lived - the manager of the aspiring singer did not share her views on creativity. Soon, with Bray's encouragement, she recorded a demo tape of four "street" tunes ("Ain't No Big Deal", "Stay", "Burning Up" and "Everybody"), which she distributed herself.

Madonna's demo tape impressed DJ/producer Mark Kamins, who played at the Danceteria club where Madonna frequented. Cummins introduced the rising star to Sire Records founder Seymour Stein. The result was a contract for the release of the debut single "Everybody". Kamins and Bray began to fight for the right to be called Madonna's agent, while both were her lovers. The choice was not easy, but in the end the singer settled on Mark.

"Everybody", Madonna's very first music video

Before recording and releasing their debut album, Madonna's producers decided to test the waters and see if the singer's success was accidental or not. For this, a second maxi-single was written. If it becomes a hit, then they will give the green light to record the album, the producers said. A more experienced producer, Reggie Lucas, was selected to replace Cumings. In collaboration with him, Madonna recorded the single "Burning Up" with the song "Physical Attraction" on the B-side. A video was released for the first song, which got into MTV rotation.

Madonna's first music video was just a production number on the dance floor. But "Burning Up", replete with inviting angles of an uninhibited blonde writhing in languid ecstasy, was a real breakthrough in the music industry. Before Madonna, none of the singers dared so openly exploit the sexual theme in the videos. Today it is the absolute norm in the pop industry.

Madonna

Madonna's debut album was called "Madonna" and hit the shelves of music stores in July 1983. It includes 8 songs in the genre of synthetic disco. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 190. The record took a year to reach number eight. Reviews from critics were mixed. Many music experts accused Madonna of excessive sexuality and deliberate "girlishness" and gave her "minute of fame" at most six months. But Ciccone only laughed, stating that she knows perfectly well what image her work has developed, but this does not mean that this is the only thing she can offer: “I keep everything under control and wait for this to be understood and confused.”

worldwide success

Madonna's second album "Like a Virgin" ("Like a Virgin"), dedicated, according to the insert on the cover, to all the virgins of the planet, was released in 1984. The producer was Knight Rogers, who had previously worked with David Bowie (album "Let's Dance"), which endeared Ciccone.

Madonna performed the lead single "Like a Virgin" at the very first MTV Video Music Awards. The singer took the stage wedding dress and a belt with the inscription "Boy Toy", and during the performance she rolled on the floor, showing the audience stockings with garters and white panties. For that time, the performance was shockingly sexy. Many years later, eyewitnesses recalled: “It was this moment that became a powerful impetus to the release of female power. This is one of the most significant musical numbers of the 20th century.”

Madonna - Like a Virgin (MTV VMA 1984)

In the wake of the first success in 1985, Madonna starred in two films. She got her first role in the film "Visual Search", where Madonna, in the episodic role of a singer in a club, performed the track "Crazy For You". Further, the singer appears in the film "Desperate Search for Susan", which introduced the world "Into The Groove" and revealed Ciccone as an actress. Many film critics believe that Suzanne is the only successful role in Madonna's filmography.

That same year, Madonna embarked on her first American tour, The Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys. Later, a video for the song "Material Girl" is recorded, and Madonna begins a relationship with actor Sean Penn. At the same time, Penthouse and Playboy magazines showed on their pages black and white photographs of the naked singer, which were taken in 1979. Madonna sued the rights to ban the publication of the pictures.

Madonna released her third studio album True Blue in 1986. It was described by Rolling Stone as "sounding from the heart". The disc included the ballad "Live to Tell", which the singer wrote for the film "Point Point", which starred her husband Sean Penn. And the name is a direct reference to Penn; Madonna gave him the nickname true blue, which means "devotee."

The album made Madonna a global star and topped the charts in 28 countries. The Guinness Book of Records called this disc absolutely unprecedented. At the same time, the singer took part in the filming of the film "Shanghai Surprise" and played for the first time in the theatrical production of "Goose and Tomt" along with Sean Penn.

Outrageous queen

In 1986, the video for the song "Papa Don't Preach" was released, in which Madonna touched on the topic of teenage pregnancy. Her lyrical underage heroine wants to give birth to a child from a loved one. Unexpectedly, the song sparked a conflict between Catholics and pro-lifers (opponents of abortion). Catholics blamed Madonna for promoting extramarital relationships, pro-lifers saw an anti-abortion message in her song. Madonna herself claimed that this song is about a protest against any patriarchal authoritarian, whether it be a father, church or society.

Madonna - Papa Don "t Preach

In 1987, Madonna appeared on film set tape Who's That Girl and recorded four songs for its soundtrack, including "Causing a Commotion".

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

In early 1989, the singer signed a 5 million contract with Pepsi, and the new composition "Like A Prayer" was presented just in advertising company soda. The video for the song, however, like the advertisement itself, provoked outrage among religious viewers: crosses were burning in the background. The video shocked the Vatican and called for a boycott of Pepsi, and the holding had no choice but to break the sponsorship contract with the pop diva. However, Madonna received her 5 million, and the scandal that broke out fueled public interest for a long time.

Madonna

In 1989, the album of the same name to the scandalous video was released, which the singer dedicated to the memory of her deceased mother and all members of her family. The lyrics touched on Madonna's childhood and the formation of Madonna's personality, the impact of her mother's death on her worldview, relationship with her father and, of course, female sexuality - this is the song "Express Yourself", for which the video was directed by David Fincher.

1990 was marked by the release of a video for the song "Justify My Love", co-written with Lenny Kravitz. The management of MTV banned the video from airing the channel due to erotic content, references to homosexuality and sadomasochism. The decision was supported by a number music channels in other countries. Madonna found a way out - she was the first in the music industry to release a video in the "video single" format on the market.

Madonna

The next year is another scandal. The documentary "Truth or Dare" is released, filmed during the Blond Ambition World Tour, during which the Toronto police intended to arrest Madonna for faking masturbation on stage.

In 1992, Madonna founded her own company, Maverick, which was engaged in entertainment, in particular, the production of films, the release of music CDs and books. First of all, the company released on the shelves a book by Madonna called "Sex" with revelations and sexual fantasies of the singer, appearing in the text under the name Dita. The single "Erotica" was sold with the book, accompanied by a photograph of Madonna holding a whip. Despite the mixed public reaction, the book became a bestseller. In the first week, more than 500,000 people bought a copy of Sex, and a total of 1.5 million books were sold.

The release of the book was part of a deliberate promotion of the fifth album "Erotica", which was entirely dedicated to sex. However, the PR campaign had a downside: the disc was waiting commercial success, but listeners perceived it more as an addition to the book, so Erotica did not break into the first lines of the charts.

March 31, 1994 Madonna came to the studio " evening show with David Letterman. During the broadcast, she said the word “fuck” 14 times, handed her panties to the host and offered to sniff them, and when he refused, she said: “Money made you weak.” In a word, in the entire history of the program, this release was recognized as the most censored.

In the same year, the album "Bedtime Stories" saw the light of day, again deploying the concept of Ciccone's work in a different direction. The track of the same name was written by Björk. The theme echoed the previous disc, the degree of sexuality dropped by an order of magnitude, while the lyricism of the lyrics increased. The audience was especially fond of the single “Secret”, however, in general, attention to the album was kept on average.

Fascination with Kabbalah

Around 1997, Madonna hit the study of Kabbalah and Judaism in general. This led to the appearance of calmer intonations in her work and style. Before that, she studied Buddhism, yoga and the Vedas, but only Kabbalah "turned her life upside down."

Shortly before this, Madonna played leading role in the musical "Evita", dedicated to the biography of the Argentine singer and later the wife of the dictator Juan Peron - Eva Duarte. Filming took place in South America, and Antonio Banderas became the woman's partner on the set. While preparing for filming, Madonna took vocal lessons, which, by the way, is clearly seen in the album Ray of Light, released a year later, recognized as the most successful since Like a Prayer.

The record symbolized the spiritual rebirth of the singer, which was influenced by many factors - from the birth of her daughter (after the filming of Evita, Madonna became pregnant and soon gave birth to her daughter Lourdes from the dancer Carlos Leon) to an affair with screenwriter Andy Bird. Madonna's songs were no longer about charms intimate life, but called to pay attention to the ecological catastrophe, talked about the universe and metaphysical categories. The 39-year-old woman abandoned provocative outfits and began to wear a sari and covered her face with a veil.

The public favorably accepted the new image, and in 1999 Madonna received three Grammys at once. Prior to that, her collection had only one such figurine - received in 1991 in the nomination "best video clip". In general, the album was able to compete even with the boy bands that flooded the music market and young singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

pop queen of the world

"Ray of Light" set the bar high, but released in 2000 and sustained in the "American" style, the album with the laconic title "Music" broke the records of its predecessor. The main hits are the songs "Music", "Don" t Tell Me "and" What It Feels Like for a Girl ", the video for which was banned from MTV, but not because of nudity, but because of the violent scenes.

Madonna

At the same time, her attempts to be realized in big cinema failed. In 2000, Ciccone starred in the romantic comedy Best Friend alongside Rupert Everett. Reviews for her acting work were devastating. A year later, the film Swept Away, directed by Guy Ritchie, Madonna's husband at that time, received five Golden Raspberry anti-awards, including the most offensive nominations for "worst female role”, “worst film” and “worst director”. Since then, Richie has sworn off shooting his wife in his films, and the singer agreed only to small roles, for example, in Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.

But 2003 brought Madonna the first failures in the musical field. The disc "American Life", in which the singer touched upon a number of topical political issues and revealed spiritual abscesses, no longer wanting to endure being treated as a "mercantile girl". The album was not a failure from a commercial point of view, but still inferior to the previous ones.

The tenth studio album "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005) rehabilitated Madonna in her own eyes. It is worth noting that the first song "Hung Up" became Madonna's main hit throughout her career.

Madonna - Hung Up

On March 26, 2012, Madonna's twelfth album, MDNA, was released. This album on the first day led the tops of all charts in the UK and the US. But, everything was not so rosy. Critics called the album very gloomy, linking it to the singer's painful breakup with Jesús Luz. The video for the second album, the single Girl Gone Wild is being censored due to explicit scenes. The record, devoid of a promotional tour in support, becomes the worst in terms of sales in the singer's career, breaking the anti-record of American Life in 2003.

The singer is embarking on the MDNA Tour, which kicks off on May 31 and is the most successful tour of 2012. The concerts cause public outcry in the US due to the use of mock weapons on stage. Billboard lists Madonna as the music industry's record-breaking $34.6 million for the year. In 2013, Madonna received 3 Billboard Music Awards. In August 2013, Forbes magazine names the singer the leader of the year in terms of income among celebrities with earnings of $125 million.

madonna ft. Nicki Minaj - Bitch, I "m Madonna!

In December 2014, 13 demo versions of songs that were recorded while working on Madonna's thirteenth studio album were leaked to the Internet. Enraged by what happened, the artist recorded several menacing messages against the pirates. A few days after the leak, on December 20, Madonna officially announced the thirteenth album, called Rebel Heart. The album was released on March 10, 2015.

Fashion designer and entrepreneur

In 2010, Madonna takes part in the advertising campaign of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house, which dreamed of getting the singer. Together with her daughter Lourdes, the singer created her own line of youth clothing "Material Girl". The self-titled album of live recordings was released in the same year, and a compilation album appeared a little later. best songs"Celebration". In the same year, Madonna became the writer and director of W.E., which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2011.

Among other things, Madonna opened a chain of fitness clubs called "Hard Candy" - in honor of her 11th album.

Madonna's personal life

You can write a separate book about Madonna's love affairs, so below we will only talk about the most sensational and serious relationship singers.

During her life, she often started relationships with non-public men and was never embarrassed by a big age difference.

Madonna's first serious romance, which ended in marriage, is associated with the name of actor Sean Penn. At the time of their acquaintance in 1985, the singer met with the Prince, but easily left the young man for the sake of a young (Sean was 2 years younger) cinema genius with a reputation as a rebel. They met on the set of the "Material Girl" video. Very soon, the lovers announced their engagement and on August 16, 1985 they got married.

Very soon married life disappointed Ciccone. It turned out that both spouses have a violent temperament and an innate tendency to constant rivalry. The situation was aggravated by Penn's drunkenness. By 1988, their marriage had practically broken up. In 1989, the artist demanded a divorce.

One night, Penn broke into her house, tied her to a chair, and beat her for several hours. By cunning, the girl got out of the house and got to the police station. Penn denied everything, although the policemen, who were horrified by the bruised and bruised pop idol, had no doubts. However, the case did not reach the court - Madonna asked not to open a criminal case against her ex-husband. “He always had trouble controlling his anger,” she later said.

Over the next few months, Madonna recovered from psychological trauma. In 1990, the singer started an affair with Warren Beatty, whom she met on the set of Dick Tracy, and in 1991 she remembered a short affair with model Tony Ward, who starred in her frank video Justify My Love.

Madonna dated Tupac. In 1996, the rapper was shot dead

Then the singer became interested in her personal trainer Carlos Leon, from whom in 1997 she gave birth to a daughter, Lourdes.

Madonna's friend, actress Elizabeth Taylor, urged her to marry Carlos so that the girl would have a father. However, this time Carlos himself began to lose interest in relationships. Being a proud man with an ardent temperament, he was furious at the publicity of his beloved. All attention was riveted on her, while he remained in the background with the prefix "Mr. Madonna."

When Lourdes was one year old, the paparazzi caught Carlos in the company of another woman. Like a real man, he did not begin to talk about the details of the gap and rejected all the multimillion-dollar offers of journalists who elicited the ins and outs of their novel. He did not disappear from the life of Madonna and Lourdes, and always tried to spend his free time with his daughter.

Then the singer had a short relationship with screenwriter Andy Byrd, which ended in 1998 after his careless phrase thrown to reporters: “Well, we have a passionate relationship, but they should be worked on.” After the breakup, she realized that she was pregnant. The woman immediately refused an abortion. A dilemma arose: tell Byrd about the pregnancy or not. But fate decided it herself - a miscarriage occurred.

That same year, at Sting's party, Madonna met British director Guy Ritchie. In a matter of days, they became close. The director was 10 years younger than the actress and had just brilliantly presented her debut film "Lock, Stock, Two Smoking Barrels" to the public. As it turned out later, Richie was aware that Madonna would be at the party, and went there with one goal - to get to know 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 developed rapidly. In 1999, Richie accidentally met Madonna's ex-lover, Byrd, in the park, hit him in the face with all his might.

In 2000, Madonna and Guy Ritchie got married, soon she gave birth to a son, Rocco. In 2005, they adopted a black boy from Malawi, who was given the name David Banda Malawe and the double surname Ciccone-Richie. Later, already divorced, she adopted three more girls: first, baby Chifundo in 2006, then, in 2012, twins Stella and Esther.

Rumor has it that she will play the lead role - silent film star Norma Desmond - in the musical Sunset Boulevard.

Moved with her four youngest children to Portugal. This is the Quinta do Relgio Palace, a cultural heritage and attraction in the resort town of Sintra near Lisbon. Now the family lives in an 18th century palace with 12 bedrooms and luxurious rooms with baroque furniture.

Madonna's children

The singer has six children - two relatives and four adopted.

She regularly posts photos of her new life in Portugal on Instagram: shows younger daughters, five-year-old Esther and Stella.

Either they are in the kitchen preparing a birthday cake, or they are posing next to their drawings on the doors, or they are listening to their older brother David (he is 12 years old) playing the piano.

David has a penchant for more than just music. He is also a talented football player.

After David began playing for the youth team of the Portuguese club Benfica, Madonna had to divide his time between Portugal, the USA and the UK.

Palace of the Madonna

In her palace, the singer is surrounded by memorabilia and gifts.

For example, she has a pillow autographed by her close friend Michael Jackson. It says something about “the mean dirty press”, and then there are these words: “They are lying. Ban all tabloids. I very love you. You will always be in my heart".

Baroque furniture and Chinese rugs - tradition and comfort.

The interior of the kitchen is unusual and memorable.

Madonna also has an older daughter, Lourdes (21), who lives in the US, and a son, Rocco (17), who lives in London with his father, Guy Ritchie, and stepmother, Jacqui Ainsley. Next come son David (age 12), daughter Mercy (age 11), and five-year-old twins Stella and Esther. The four younger ones are with their mother in Lisbon.

In this creative family, there is always music and dancing.

Madonna often posts videos of her kids dancing.

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in the small town of Bay City, Michigan. Her mother, Madonna Louise, worked as an X-ray technician. His father, Silvio Ciccone, worked as a design engineer at the Chrysler General Motors plant.

Madonna was born the third child in a large Catholic family, in which, in addition to her, there are five more brothers and sisters. Children were brought up in strict Catholic traditions requiring mandatory attendance at church and diligent studies at school. The Ciccone family was so devout that the children were raised at 6 a.m. daily for an hour in church before being taken to the parish school.

Madonna with her parents and older brothers (left)

December 1, 1963, when Madonna was five years old, her mother dies of breast cancer. For the girl, this was a terrible blow. For two years, Madonna fell into hypochondria, convincing herself that she, like her mother, had cancer. As soon as she left the house, she was immediately terrified and began to vomit.

“After my mother died, I had a terrible feeling that everyone had abandoned me.”

Madonna's parents

It was difficult for my father to cope with his large family. Therefore, various assistants soon began to appear in the house. In 1966, three years after the death of his mother, his father became friends with another housekeeper who helped with the housework, Joan Gustafson.

Madonna could not accept her stepmother and their relationship was strained. The birth of half-sibling Madonna further complicated the situation. She could not come to terms with the fact that a strange woman took the place of her mother in her father's heart.

Relations with classmates also did not develop. Peers considered her a girl "with regards." And many disliked her for her brilliant academic performance. The wayward shocking character manifested itself already in the school years:

“When I was forbidden to put on makeup, put on nylon stockings, I wanted to do the opposite.”

In protest, and in order to attract more attention, Madonna pulled on her teenage legs a pair of provocative often mismatched stockings.

At the age of 14, Madonna Ciccone performs at the evening of school talents. This was the key event of her childhood. But since she only danced in a bikini at this performance, the reputation of their Catholic family suffered greatly. The father was furious, and put his daughter under house arrest, and in the town they discussed the performance for another month.

Madonna starts taking lessons at 15 ballroom dancing with teacher Christopher Flynn. He was everything to her: a teacher, a father, a close friend...

Flynn was 30 years older than Madonna, and adhered to an unconventional orientation, so the student's love remained unrequited. However, he took the student to classical concerts, exhibitions and gay clubs, introducing her to the world of art. The appearance of an excellent student begins to change towards a sloppy bohemian look that scares others.

At the same time, 15-year-old Madonna has her first boyfriend, 17-year-old Russell Long. Madonna made sure that her father, and the whole school, knew about her first lover. And a year later, even the convinced gay Flynn could not resist the beauty of the matured student. 16-year-old Madonna turned her mentor into a bisexual for a while.

In 1976, Madonna Ciccone graduated from high school a few months before her final exams. Thanks to an excellent diploma, a successful IQ test and excellent recommendations from teachers, she continues her dance education on a budgetary basis at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Professor Christopher Flynn, having received a position at the college, gave patronage to the "beloved student."

The choice of a "frivolous" profession greatly worsened the singer's already difficult relationship with her father. All the years he hoped that his daughter would be a doctor or a lawyer. But by that time, the father had ceased to have influence on the daughter. Madonna knew what she wanted and decided to go to her goal.

Madonna at the University of Ann Arbor

According to the teachers, Madonna had endurance, rare even for a dancer, which was further developed by her ballet skills. After studying at the University of Michigan for only a year and a half, she begins to realize that she has no future in the province. And despite the prohibition of his father, he leaves the university to go to New York with the dream of opening his own dance studio.

In the summer of 1978, a plane delivered Madonna, full of determination and self-confidence, to the New York airport. With her, the girl had only $ 35, a winter coat and a suitcase with a dance uniform. She had neither relatives nor acquaintances in this city, and she did not know where to go. Taking a taxi, Madonna said to take her to the very center. The trip cost $15 - just under half of Madonna's entire fortune.

Madonna had a hard time in New York. She lived in poverty, periodically spending the night in basements and attics, wandering. And sometimes, in search of food, she checked the contents of garbage cans:

“I worked myself half to death before I became who I am. And I literally starved, sometimes getting food from garbage cans, until, finally, I broke through ... "

Already in November 1978, Madonna was invited to view the famous dance troupe of the ballerina Pearl Lang. A job with Pearl Lang's troupe didn't pay rent, and the dancer worked as a donut vendor at Dunkin' Donuts, as well as as a model in an art studio, and as a nude model for photographers (these photos resurfaced many years later, appearing in Playboy and Penthouse magazines). ").

In a word, she had to spin so as not to die of hunger. She made her debut on stage in the production of "I Never Seen Other Butterflies Again" in the role of a boy from the Jewish ghetto.

Soon, Madonna Ciccone began to weaken in class due to malnutrition, and Lang arranged for the dancer to work in the evenings for food as a cloakroom attendant at the Russian Samovar restaurant. Renting a room in a cheap and dangerous area of New York, where Madonna was raped by a maniac armed with a knife. After a mental trauma, she becomes absent-minded in class and ceases to believe in her dancing future.

Due to lack of funds, Madonna begins to go to auditions for Broadway musicals and dancers, although she used to consider it below her dignity, since she danced with Pearl Lange herself, a student of the famous Martha Graham. In 1979, luck smiles at her. At one of the auditions for French disco artist Patrick Hernandez for his 1979 world tour, Madonna's dance really liked the producers and she was asked to sing something.

Madonna sang the simple song "Jingle Bells" and to the complete surprise of Madonna, who sang only in the school choir, was invited to Paris, where they wanted to make her "something like a dancing Edith Piaf." The artist finally left the Lang troupe and spent six months in France, Belgium and Tunisia. She was convinced of the prospects of a career as a singer, but 20-year-old Madonna by that time was passionate about punk rock, rebelled against producers and did not want to sing the proposed disco-pop material. Six months later, Madonna falls ill with pneumonia, and after recovering, she flies back to New York to “visit friends”, never returning to the French producers.

In New York, her boyfriend was waiting for her: by the time she met the producers, she had been in love with musician Dan Gilroy for two weeks. Gilroy had a huge impact on the transformation of Madonna Ciccone from a dancer into a musician: he taught him how to play drums and electric guitar. After daily drumming lessons to an Elvis Costello CD, Madonna becomes a good enough drummer and was accepted into Gilroy's group called the "Breakfast Club".

In 1981, Madonna left the group. Gilroy recalled:

She has a natural talent for playing percussion instruments, and we offered her a good deal. One evening she wanted to try herself as a singer, we gave her a chance in one of our numbers, and soon it happened. She couldn't get rid of it anymore. By this time we already had two vocalists and we didn't need a third, so she left us. It was probably one of the smartest decisions she ever made.

And in the same year, Madonna created the Emmy group in collaboration with her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bray, whom she took to play drums, herself already being a soloist. Together they record several dance compositions.

In 1981, Madonna Ciccone met Camilla Barbon, the owner of the Gotham recording studio. Soon Barbon offered to become the personal manager of the singer. Barbon rents more decent housing for the Madonna, appointing a salary, if necessary, provides material support. Camille Barbon tried to get Madonna a contract with the label.

This work does not bring results. Therefore, Madonna, leaving the company, decides on her own to ensure that the demo recording of her song gets to listen to the “right people”.

The choice of Madonna falls on the company "Dunsteria", which at that time was known for maintaining the traditions of entertainment establishments. "Dunsteria" was opened in 1981 by Rudolph - a famous nightlife impresario of that time. The institution very quickly became famous and became fashionable. He was constantly talked about and written about.

Madonna begins to visit this institution, demonstrating excellent dance skills. One of the most fateful acquaintances in Madonna's life took place here.

Mark Kaminsa, the recognized king of DJs and aspiring producer, was the man who first played Madonna's record in Dunsteria. The enthusiasm that the audience came to convinced Mark that Madonna was a future star.

In 1982, with the help of the same Mark Kamins, Madonna recorded the single "Everybody". Mark takes the cassette with Madonna's new song to Chris Blackwell, the executive director of Island records, but he refuses the singer.

Frustrated by the failure, Mark Kamins, through his friend Michael Rosenblatt, arranges for Madonna to meet the founder of Sire Records, Seymour Stein. This time the contract was signed immediately. (Madonna Ciccone becomes simply Madonna). Under the terms of the deal, Madonna receives a $5,000 advance, and for each song written, a royalty and a $1,000 publishing fee. President Seymour Stein and Rosenblatt were sure of Madonna's success, but not enough to go for broke and release an album right away. Rosenblatt developed a plan to promote Madonna through the release of dance singles.

Mark Kamins became the producer for Madonna's first single, this was his first experience. The result of their two weeks of work was a single, which, in their opinion, was supposed to elevate her to the top forty performers in the blink of an eye. But, after listening to what was considered a hit, Rosenblatt became depressed, Ain't No Big Deal didn't seem like that to him.

There was no time to re-record, so they went ahead and put Everybody on both sides of the single. They decided not to put a photo of Madonna on the cover, since many, listening to her songs, thought that she was a black woman. In this way, a wider audience could be attracted. Rosenblatt's extraordinary decision paid off handsomely. In a matter of weeks, Everybody had soared to the top of the dance music charts.

In 1983, the debut album called Madonna was released. The song "Holiday", presented on this CD, is a great success and enters the top twenty American singles, and the next year the top ten in Europe. In 2013, Rolling Stone named it one of the top 100 debut albums of all time. On this moment Madonna's album sold 10 million copies.

In 1984, the second album, Like a Virgin, was released. Which topped the US album chart. The album sold 26 million copies worldwide and eventually received a diamond certification in the United States.

Meanwhile, the singer's career is gaining momentum. The songs recorded by her invariably occupy the highest places in the ratings and charts.

Over the years of her musical activity, Madonna has successfully tried herself in various genres and directions, becoming the winner of many awards. Madonna is also the owner of numerous records, in particular, she surpassed Elvis Presley in the total number of hits in the top ten Billboard, and in this indicator became the second, second only to the Beatles.

Madonna's 2008-2009 Sticky and Sweet Tour is the highest-earning male and female solo artist of all time.

Being one of the most famous media people, Madonna received the nicknames of the material girl (after the title of an early song of the English Material Girl) and the queen of pop music (English Queen of Pop) from the English-language press. She is also known as the author of the English Roses series of children's books, a popularizer of yoga and Kabbalah, and an activist in many charitable and human rights organizations.

After the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the singer transferred $ 250,000 to the victims' fund.

In addition, she is actively involved in the revival of the African Republic of Malawi, where her adopted children come from. And the personal fortune of the Queen of Pop is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Madonna is very efficient - the singer practically does not rest. According to her, she begins to suffer from idleness already on the second day of her vacation. As a rule, she gets up at four in the morning, a mandatory run in the park, then a 45-minute yoga session and the traditional call to her guru from the London Kabbalah Center. After that, Madonna is ready to have breakfast with her children. After such a busy morning, an equally busy day follows - business calls, negotiations, meetings. From noon, work begins on texts and arrangements of songs or roles in films.

Personal life

Madonna's first husband was actor Sean Penn, whom she met on the set of the "MaterialGirl" video. It was love at first sight. Sean first saw Madonna when she came down the stairs in a satin flying dress. He was 24 and she was 26.

Madonna and Sean Penn

In the summer of 1985, on her own birthday, Madonna marries Sean Penn. However, the happiness of the newlyweds was short-lived. Soon, Sean's pride began to hurt the offensive nickname "Mr. Madonna" and the active interest of the press in their couple. Because of the aggressive behavior of "Mr. Madonna" in relation to journalists and his wife, they began to be called "evil Penns" in the press. For the jealous Penn, marriage to Madonna was a real torture. Not only did he have to fight off the annoying press all the time, but his wife also reserved the right to “go to the left”. But for Madonna, the relationship with the ambitious (and even drinking) Penn was a test. Penn wished to lock his wife at home.

Deeply in love, Madonna dutifully abandoned performances and a stage career. Penn fired all her bodyguards and began to accompany everywhere himself. Madonna could not stand this and returned to the stage. Penn resigned himself, and this was the beginning of the era of "Mr. Madonna", as the press dubbed him.

At the peak of their life together, the couple starred in "Shanghai Express" - the film was the biggest failure of Penn's career and one of the worst for Madonna.

The scandalous marriage cracked. What happened next shocked everyone: Penn turned into a tyrant. He began to beat his wife, mocked her, tied her up, threatening to disfigure her face with a lit cigarette. He demanded details of adultery - imaginary and real. As a result, Madonna wrote to the police a statement about rape and beating, attaching a divorce statement to it. Penn was threatened with a solid term, but the singer withdrew the lawsuit ...

However, Sean, according to the laws of the state of California, was entitled to half of his wife's fortune. But he did not claim the seventy million dollars earned by Madonna during the years of their life together.

At the end of 1988, after four years of marriage, they divorced.

Madonna with Warren Beatty

Immediately after the divorce from Sean, Madonna had a stormy romance with Warren Beatty, who was also an actor and a famous womanizer. By the way, Madonna began dating him while still married. But this union did not end in anything serious.

Later, Madonna became very close to Sandra Bernard, a famous comedian. The singer was even suspected of being gay, but she strongly denied these rumors.

Madonna with Sandra Bernard

At 38, Madonna finally became a mother. Madonna made an offer to personal sports coach Carlos Leone to become the father of her child. She also asked him to take all the necessary tests and monitor his health. The result of this obscene proposal is the daughter of Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Madonna wanted her daughter to be baptized by the Pope himself, but was refused.

With Carlos Leone (left), daughter - Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon

Later, at Sting's party, she met Guy Ritchie, where Madonna mistook the English director Guy Ritchie for a nice guy from the outskirts of London. When the misunderstanding was resolved, Madonna was very embarrassed. This became the occasion for a closer acquaintance.

The celebration dedicated to the marriage took place on December 22, 2000 in one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland, Skibo.

With Guy Ricci (left), son Rocco (right)

Soon, in the best medical center in Los Angeles, Madonna becomes a mother for the second time - she gave birth to a boy, Rocco. (By the way, Sting became the godfather of the child). In addition, the newlyweds also adopted a baby from a poor African family. However, this marriage did not last long. There were rumors that marriage to Madonna prevented Guy Ricci from creating film masterpieces. Be that as it may, it was Guy who insisted on a divorce, and in the fall of 2008 they divorced.

With Jesus Lucas. Daughter - Mercy James

Soon Madonna starts new novel- this time with a young fashion model from Brazil, Jesús Lucas. And in the summer of 2009, a replenishment happened in Madonna's large family - the singer adopted a girl from Malawi, Mercy James.

About what role the heirs play for Madonna, her words say:

“The most important thing in life is children. It is in children's eyes that we can see the real world."

Madonna with eldest daughter Lourdes and two adopted children

Let's gossip

Madonna's passion for black men and women can be called truly fatal. In the mid-90s, the singer, as mentioned above, was actively looking for a father candidate for her child. The first of them was shocking basketball player Dennis Rodman. Tall, luxuriously built, Rodman seemed like the perfect father of an unborn child! But the lovers desperately did not match schedules. Madonna performed actively, and Rodman spent all his time on the basketball court. About the "fruitful work" on the offspring and in this case had to be forgotten.

with Dennis Rodman (left), Tupac Shakur (right)

Madonna dated rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996. A year before the murder of the black legend, he and Madonna began a short and stormy romance. But Tupac began to be reproached for dating a white, albeit outstanding, woman. In the end, they had to part.

Madonna with Naomi Campbell

There were rumors that in 1992 Madonna had an affair with ... Naomi Campbell! Girls were often seen together not only at official ceremonies, but also at parties. However, Madonna and Naomi Campbell claim that they are connected exclusively by long-term warm friendship.

Perhaps this is just a myth, but there are many more similar stories behind Madonna's shoulders ...

Curious facts
At the age of 10, the future sex revolutionary was going to become a nun. “I wanted to lead a righteous life. But the very idea of the tonsure evoked ambivalent feelings in me. The more this story attracted me externally, the more it repelled me internally.
Older brothers, Martin (who began living on the street in 2011) and Anthony, constantly beat and mocked Madonna as children. From a young age they took drugs. One of the brothers ran away from home and became a follower of the Moon sect.
Madonna's mother was descended from Canadian French, and her father was Italian.
With the advent of big money, Madonna became interested in acquiring expensive real estate and art objects. She is one hundred major collectors art objects in the USA. Madonna has a home in Miami and recently bought another one in Los Angeles, while also selling her “pink estate” in the Hollywood Hills. She owns a luxury apartment in New York worth over $7 million.
Studying banking investments, accounts, Madonna always does herself, not trusting anyone. She also participates in all negotiations related to her career.

Madonna quotes:

They say good things don't last forever, and sooner or later it ends. These are the words of people who have achieved nothing in life.
Madonna never regrets anything: "I made mistakes, but I learned from them."
My fear of something usually means I have to do it.
I pulled myself up by the straps of my own bra.
I am my own experiment, and my own masterpiece.

All Quotes >>> Madonnas