#Madonna pays respects to late protégé Nick Kamen

Madonna paid tribute to her protégé, Nick Kamen, who died Tuesday.

The pop star, 62, shared a photo of the two together on Twitter, writing: “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.”

A friend of Kamen’s family confirmed that the 59-year-old died after a long battle with bone marrow cancer.  

Despite undergoing several intense treatments, including stem cell treatment, his body gave in to cancer after being in remission. Kamen was being taken care of by his girlfriend Lucinda.

Kamen rose to fame after his legendary Levi’s ad when the then-18-year-old stripped down to his boxers. The ad led to a huge boost in sales for Levi’s and came in fourth place in a countdown of the 100 greatest ads of all time.

His modeling success allowed him to make his way into the music industry when he was contacted by Madonna about a song she had written with Stephen Bray.

Kamen collaborated with Madge on the 1986 record, “Each Time you Break my Heart,” which climbed to the fifth spot on the UK singles chart.

Madonna commented that she was inspired by his “charisma” and “beautiful voice.”

After his partnership with the megastar, Kamen went on to have four records between 1987 and 1992 — including a cover of the Four Tops’ 1966 hit, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever.”

Other celebrities have paid tribute to the star, including his friend Boy George who wrote on Instagram, “R.I.P to the most beautiful and sweetest man Nick Kamen!”