Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, the third child of an Italian-American engineer father and French-Canadian mother. She grew up in a Catholic family in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Rochester Hills. She was five years old when her mother died of breast cancer in 1963 at the age of thirty. Her father, Tony P. Ciccone, later married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson, and the couple went on to have two children together. Music lessons were a must for all of Tony’s children, but after a few months of piano, Madonna convinced him that ballet was better suited to her talents. He relented and she proved to be a very talented dancer.
She was a straight-A student at Rochester Adams High School where she also excelled at sports and was a cheerleader. In 1976, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. She completed two years of college and in 1977, moved to New York City, arriving with only $35 dollars in her pocket. She braved many financial difficulties and supported herself with different low-paying jobs. She did some nude modeling to make ends meet, a choice she would regret after she became famous. During this difficult time, she also studied with Martha Graham and her disciple, Pearl Lang, and later performed with Alvin Ailley and the Walter Nicks dancers.
In 1980, Madonna received her first starring film role in “A Certain Sacrifice.” In 1982, she released her first single record, “Everybody.” Although it did not become a hit, it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Dance Chart. In July of 1983, she released her first album, “Madonna,” which eventually sold nearly two million copies in the United States and currently stands at 5x platinum.
This songwriter, singer, producer, actress and author was married to Sean Penn and is currently wed to Guy Ritchie. She has a daughter, Lourdes Marie and a son, Rocco.
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