Madonna and Family Celebrate Her 63 Birthday in Puglia Imaged by Ricardo Gomes
/Madonna and Family Celebrate Her 63 Birthday in Puglia Imaged by Ricardo Gomes AOC Fashion
Madonna celebrated her 63rd birthday last week, hosting a birthday party in a deconsecrated, 6th-century Puglia church. Madonna’s frequent photographer and videographer Ricardo Gomes [IG] documented the event exclusively for Vogue Italia.
Madonna’s entire family was on hand to celebrate one of the world’s mystical goddesses, a woman who has a relationship with religion and spirituality that AOC relates to. Madonna has been photographed wearing religious iconography including cross pendants. Masks and headdresses are another favorite of the singer superstar, as she always probes the intersection of religion and sexuality.
Madonna’s children Lourdes Leon, Mercy James, Stelle and Estere Cicione, Roco Ritchie and David Banda joined the birthday party. Rita Melssen styles the shoot, which also includes actor Debi Mazar and Madonna’s boyfriend since late 2019, dancer Ahlamalik Williams. / Hair by Andy Lecompte; makeup by Aaron Henrikson
Madonna Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Stonewall Inn LBGTQ Gay Rights Events
/Madonna launched her role as an ambassador for the 50th anniversary celebrations commemorating riots at New York’s Greenwich Village Stonewall Inn with a New Years Eve drop-in.
Accompanied by her son David Banda on acoustic guitar, the pop star welcomed 2019 in the iconic bar that jump-started the modern LBGTQ movement. Madonna led the crowd in a sing-along of "Like a Prayer" and covered Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love."
"I stand here proudly at the place where pride began, the legendary Stonewall Inn, on the birth of a new year," she said. "We come together tonight to celebrate 50 years of revolution.”
The singer called for peace and understanding in her speech, saying, “If we truly took the time to get to know one another we would find that we all bleed the same color and we all need to love and be loved. Let’s remember who and what we are fighting for — ourselves, for each other, but truly and most importantly, what are we fighting for? Let’s take a minute to reflect on how we can bring more love and peace into 2019, let’s look at how we can bring random acts of kindness. Maybe we can find an opening to bring the light in. Are you ready to do that?"