Madonna's Protégé Nick Kamen Passed Away at Age 59

Essex-born Nick Kamen rose to fame in the 1980s after being featured in a Levi's advertisement and being discovered by Madonna. The release of "Each Time You Break My Heart," which was written and produced by Madonna, catapulted Nick Kamen even further into the spotlight, but fans haven’t heard much from him since his 1992 single “Whatever, Whenever.” 

Recently, it was confirmed that Nick died in his home of a terminal illness, which left fans devastated. But what was Nick Kamen’s cause of death? How did he die?

According to reports, Nick died on May 4 after a four-year battle with bone marrow cancer. 

Nick’s brother, Ronald Kamen, who last saw Nick a few days before his death, told Daily Mail, “We have been able to see him, but only one at a time due to the pandemic. That made things a lot worse, but he did have the cancer before all the lockdowns." He added, “Sadly, the cancer was not caught in time.”

Although Nick’s passing comes as a surprise to fans, his family knew that his death was inevitable. Ronald shared, “His breathing was very shallow, and he knew what was coming. He did fight it very hard.”

Over the years, Nick underwent chemotherapy and stem cell treatment. Because of his fighting spirit, Nick’s sister, Denise Kent, affectionately referred to her brother as Lazarus. She explained, “'He was a real fighter. He gave it everything and was in and out of the hospital. He never gave up and put up such a good fight. It has been four years. A long time.''

“He would always fight back and would not give up. He came back so often we would call him Lazarus after biblical character. He really did fight so hard,” she continued. 

Since news of Nick Kamen’s death surfaced online, there has been no shortage of celebrity tributes on social media. Aside from an announcement on social media in 2018, Nick managed to keep details about his illness under wraps, but close friends of the pop star commended him for his strength.

Nick’s former mentor and long-time friend, Madonna, wrote on Twitter, “It breaks my heart 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.”

Nick previously lived in his Notting Hill home with his partner, who cared for him until the time of his death. But was Nick Kamen married?

Although Nick Kamen was unmarried at the time of his death, he was not single. According to his neighbors, his girlfriend, Lucinda, helped keep Nick’s spirits high as he was fighting his battle with cancer and will now be speaking for the Kamen family moving forward. 

One neighbor told Daily Mail, “'Nick knew he was dying for quite some time, and Lucinda was a great comfort to him. Nick came from quite a large family, and a lot of them would come to visit him too. He had a fantastic life, but we will all miss him.”