Madonna heartbroken to hear of protege Nick Kamen's death

Madonna has paid tribute to her one-time protege Nick Kamen, revealing she's broken hearted to learn of his death from bone marrow cancer.

The British model rose to fame after appearing in a 1985 Levi's 501 jeans commercial and recorded the hit Each Time You Break My Heart, which Madonna co-wrote, a year later.

Remembering the pin-up on Wednesday, Madonna shared a number of photos of Kamen to her Instagram and wrote: "It's 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."

Meanwhile, Kamen's sister, Denise Kent, has opened up about the model and singer's secret cancer battle, revealing the 59-year-old battled death so many times his family affectionately called him "Lazarus".

"He was a real fighter," she told MailOnline, adding: "He gave it everything and was in and out of hospital. He never gave up and put up such a good fight. It has been four years."

She explained: "He would always fight back and would not give up. He came back so often we would call him Lazarus after the biblical character. He really did fight so hard."

There have also been tributes from comedian Matt Lucas, Boy George, and Duran Duran.