Madonna has paid tribute to her former collaborator, the British model and singer Nick Kamen.
Kamen – real name Ivor Neville Kamen – died aged 59 on Tuesday (4 May) after a long illness.
Madonna honoured the late musician in an Instagram post shared yesterday (5 May).
The performer wrote: “It’s heartbreaking 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.”
She accompanied the caption with a black and white image of the two of them together, as well as a few photographs of Kamen modelling.
Following Kamen’s breakout role in the iconic 1985 Levis 501 commercial, he collaborated with Madonna on the song “Each Time You Break My Heart”.
Madonna co-wrote the song with Stephen Bray. In 1986, the pop star told BBC Radio she had requested the duet after being inspired by the model’s “charisma” and “beautiful voice”.
He went on to release four LPs between 1987 and 1992.
His other songs include “I Promised Myself” and “Turn It Up”, which appeared on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids soundtrack.
Boy George also paid tribute to Kamen in an Instagram post, writing: “RIP to the most beautiful and sweetest man Nick Kamen!”
A Twitter post from Duran Duran, attributed to bassist John Taylor, described Kamen as “one of the loveliest and gentlest men I ever met”.
