Madonna Pays Tribute to Singer & Model Nick Kamen After Death At 59

Madonna was among many to share a tribute of singer and model Nick Kamen, who died at age 59 after a long battle with an illness.

Kamen first rose to fame as a model on the cover of The Face magazine in 1984, where he wore lipstick, aviators and a ski hat. He soon booked a commercial for Levi’s in 1985, which would become his most famous appearance. In the ad, he stripped down to his underwear in front of women at the laundromat.

The commercial, set to Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” catapulted Kamen to the status of sex symbol and caught the attention of pop star Madonna. The two collaborated on “Each Time you Break My Heart,” a 1986 record that reached number five on the U.K. singles chart.

Madonna posted a photo on Instagram, sharing her heartbreak.

She captioned the tribute, “Its heart breaking to know you are gone. You were always such a kind, sweet human and you suffered too much. Hope you are happier wherever you are Nick Kamen. 🙏🏼”

Others, including Kamen’s former girlfriend, Amanda de Cadenet, posted photos of him as well. For Kamen, Cadenet wrote, “Any notoriety you gained was something you never embraced. It almost embarrassed you. My experience of you, and our time together was that you spent much of your days making art, cooking, traveling, and chanting.”

BBC Breakfast tweeted about Kamen’s influence on fashion following news of his death. They said Kamen’s appearances “broke all the norms, and it just stands the test of time, everything about it.”