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Madonna’s Children: Meet The Kids Of The Queen Of Pop

Here's everything you need to know about them!
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Seriously, who hasn’t heard of Madonna? Maybe it’s okay if you don’t know who she is, but there’s no chance that you haven’t come across any of her music! The multi-awarded singer/songwriter is well-known for songs like Material Girl, Papa Don’t Preach, and Like A Virgin. She was the top female artist in the year 1983 to 2008 and has won a ton of awards! It’s no wonder the 65-year-old earned the nickname Queen Of Pop!

Aside from her passion for music, there is one other thing that keeps things going for Madonna – her children. Unbeknown to most, the Queen Of Pop takes motherhood very seriously and is currently taking care of her six children.

Curious? Keep scrolling to learn more about Madonna’s children.

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(Credit: Instagram) (Credit: Instagram)

Who is Madonna?

Madonna Louise Ciccone is one of the most famous singers in history. She has been killing it in the industry for over 30 years and has put out over 26 albums, 20 of which went platinum. She’s accumulated over 200 awards including seven Grammy awards and 16 Guinness World Records. Madonna is also a powerful symbol of female empowerment, liberation, and reinvention. She’s also a huge advocate of LGBTQ+ rights and is considered the greatest gay icon, according to The Advocate.

Who Is Madonna Married To?

The original Material Girl has had a colourful dating life. She dated high-profile celebrities like Tupac Shakur, Ingrid Casares, and was even linked to John F Kennedy Jr. Her marriages, on the other hand, aren’t as vibrant. She tied the knot with Sean Penn in 1985 – a marriage that lasted for four years. In 2000, she married the English film director Guy Ritchie. This marriage lasted a little longer but they ended up getting divorced in 2008. 

In 2023 Madonna began dating Joshua Popper, a 29-year-old boxer. In August, she introduced her new beau to her eldest son Rocco according to publications.

How Many Children Does Madonna Have?

After being through a series of relationships and marriages, you might be thinking “so how many kids does Madonna have?”. Well, it looks like the 65-year-old pop superstar readily embraced motherhood because she currently has six kids, raising most of them on her own.

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Madonna and Lourdes. (Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

Lourdes Leon

A few years after her divorce with Sean Penn, Madonna met and fell in love with Cuban dancer Carlos Leon. The two dated for a while and in 1996 she gave birth to her first child Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.

Maybe this is where the Queen Of Pop discovered her calling to motherhood. She describes the event as the greatest miracle of her life and even traded her pink Hollywood mansion for a suburban home in Los Angeles.

Lourdes is now 26 and is following her mum’s footsteps in becoming a performer.

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Rocco is Madonna’s second oldest child. (Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

Rocco Ritchie

Her second child was with ex-husband Guy Ritchie. Rocco was born on August 11, 2000, a few months before the couple got married.  Rocco was raised between the U.S. and the U.K. and has toured the world with his mum.

Rocco got caught between his parents’ divorce. In 2008, after the divorce has been finalised, the eight-year-old Rocco chose to stay with his father in the U.K. In 2017, Madonna and her child Rocco got reunited when he moved back to New York to patch things up with her.

Now 23, Rocco is a model and artist. 

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David and Madonna. (Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie

After giving birth to Rocco, Madonna suffered complications due to placenta previa which left her unable to conceive. But motherhood was such a strong calling for the Queen Of Pop, that she wouldn’t let her ailments stop her from being the mother she wanted to be!

Madonna and Guy travelled to Malawi to adopt three-year-old David Banda. The adoption process was tough – local laws require adoptive parents to stay in Malawi for at least a year before being able to adopt.

David is Madonna’s first adopted child, and the singer has admitted in the past that David is the child she has the most in common with. Now 17, David is a rising football star who trained at the Benfica Adacemy in Portugal. 

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Mercy and Madonna. (Credit: Getty) (Credit: Getty)

Mercy James

In June 2009, Guy Ritchie and Madonna adopted Mercy James, their fourth child. Mercy, who was also born in Malawi, is now 17, with her mother taking to Instagram in January 2023 to pay tribute. 

“Happy birthday Chifundo,” the mom of six wrote on her Instagram Story, showing a balloon arrangement spelling out the teen’s name. “We love you!!”

In another picture, Madonna wrote, “My precious beautiful talented daughter.” 
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Estere and Stella. (Credit: Instagram) (Credit: Instagram)

Estere Ciccone And Stella Ciccone

In 2017, Madonna announced to the world that she wanted to adopt again! But this time she adopted twins named Estere and Stella from Malawi who were 5 years old. 

Now 10, the sisters appear frequently on their mum’s Instagram. In June 2023, they celebrated their graduation from elementary school! 

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Madonna and her four adopted children. (Credit: Instagram) (Credit: Instagram)

Where Does Madonna Live?

Madonna is considered to be the wealthiest female artist of all time, and if you’re still doing tours at the age of 65, it’s only natural to have properties latched in different parts of the world. 

Aside from her Hollywood Mansion, Madonna also has homes in New York and London but has previously located to Lisbon, Portugal to support the football career of her son, David. 

Conclusion

For Madonna, her kids are everything. In June 2023 the Queen of Pop spoke to Vanity Fair about the challenges her children face having a mother in the spotlight. 

Noting how motherhood “has been the most difficult, the hardest battle,” she explained, “Today I am still struggling to understand how to be a mother and do my job.”

“Because, whoever you are, having children and raising them is a work of art. And no one gives you a manual. You have to learn from mistakes. It is a profession that requires a lot of time. And it is exhausting because there is never rest.”

Adding that what makes her “the happiest” in her role as a mother is seeing how each of her children “has found their creativity,” she continued: “I have never encouraged my daughter Lola to make music or my son Rocco to paint. But I’ve always exposed them to art, to music…I’m happy with how they are today. And I’m proud of their work.”

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