This boy was famous all over the world before he was born, grew up and made a name for himself. As the child of pop star Madonna and her husband, film director Guy Ritchie, he was in the spotlight and made headlines even during his mother’s pregnancy. And then the attention only grew because his parents divorced and began a bitter fight between them over their son.
Wanting to distance himself from his feuding parents, Richie began to act recklessly, which attracted even more media attention. However, he eventually found his own path, although it was not easy.
As a teenager, Rocco had a rebellious character, often changing his appearance and dreaming of abstracting himself from the names of his parents.
Rocco Ritchie was born in Los Angeles in 2000 to one of the most famous show business couples, singer Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie. He was the eldest son in the family; in addition to him, the couple raised Madonna’s eldest daughter and two adopted children. Rocco spent his childhood in New York, where he attended the prestigious and expensive private school “Lycee Francais”.
In 2004, little Rocco starred in a documentary about Madonna during her Re-Invention tour, which captured the hearts of many fans of the pop star’s work. Years later, he appeared as a backup dancer on his mother’s MDNA world tour in 2012 and worked backstage during her Rebel Heart tour in 2015.
Despite always being a famous child, Rocco doesn’t like the spotlight. He only did one interview as a child, appearing with his mother on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, but generally kept a low profile. Aside from the occasional paparazzi snap of him skateboarding or hanging out with friends, Madonna’s eldest son stayed out of the spotlight until he made his debut as an artist.
As a teenager, Rocco caused a lot of trouble for his parents, being stubborn, rebellious, and trying to abstract himself from their name.
He often changed his appearance, sometimes growing long blond locks, sometimes getting a buzz cut. At the age of twelve, he was arrested near his home for possession of weed after neighbors reported him to the police.
After his parents divorced, Rocco decided to stay with his father
In the fall of 2008, Madonna and Guy Ritchie divorced. Although their divorce initially seemed relatively amicable, a few years later they entered into a bitter custody battle over their son, which began after 15-year-old Rocco went to live with his father in London and announced to his mother that he had decided to stay there.
The singer filed a lawsuit claiming that Rocco was being held illegally by his father in the UK. Despite a subsequent court order, Rocco insisted on staying with his father, setting off a bitter custody battle between his parents.
Madonna’s strict upbringing and career were rumored to be the cause of a rift between mother and son. Things got worse in 2016 after young Rocco, fed up with being at the center of his parents’ battles, blocked Madonna on social media and then deleted his accounts.
Madonna was going through a hard time with her son, and dedicated her performance of “La Vie en Rose” to him during her performance in Oakland. She told the crowd from the stage that she missed him very much and hoped he would hear it.
Madonna and Guy eventually settled the custody issue and it was decided that Rocco would remain in the UK with his father and attend school there.
Despite the escalating conflict with Madonna, Rocco always spoke well of his parents and never stopped maintaining relations with them. Even the strained relationship with his mother did not make them strangers. In one interview, he said that Madonna was a good mother, although quite strict, in a good sense of the word.
A year after the falling out, he took part in Madonna’s charity trip to Malawi, and was also by her side in 2023 when she fell ill with a bacterial infection and was rushed to intensive care.
Rocco’s salvation was immersion in art.
Rocco first picked up a paintbrush as a child, and drawing became his escape from his parents’ turbulent relationship and the media’s scrutiny. Rocco later told an interviewer that art had always been “an escape” for him.
After moving to London, he went to study at Central Saint Martins College. It is one of the most prestigious arts-oriented colleges in the UK. At college, no one treated him like the son of a superstar, he felt like an ordinary student, and he definitely liked it.
After college, Rocco attended the Royal School of Drawing to hone his artistic skills. He later admitted that living in London had a huge impact on him, he became completely immersed in art and transformed from a rebellious teenager into a goal-oriented young man.
This prompted him to focus on his art. He was inspired by the graffiti artist Banksy and saw himself as a well-known artist in the London art scene within a few years.
When Rocco first started exhibiting his work, he did so under the pseudonym Red, to avoid association with his parents. There was no deep meaning to the name, he just liked the sound of it. At first, Red’s identity was a mystery, but journalists investigated and found out that the mysterious artist was none other than Madonna’s son.
What Rocco Ritchie does in London and how he spends his free time
Rocco Ritchie now has no desire for anonymity, preferring to live as a full-time artist under his real name. In 2022, he held his first solo exhibition in London, and became known as a “London artist.”
But his name is still associated with his parents, pop icon Madonna and film director Guy Ritchie. Rocco dreams of breaking free from the association with his famous background and family name. At 24, he has already done a lot to achieve this, but he hopes to do more.
“I think people always judge you for who you are, and if I take my craft seriously, over time my work will speak for itself and I won’t be associated solely with my parents,” he said in one of his last interviews.
In late 2023, he had his second solo exhibition in London, and in early 2024, he debuted his new exhibition in Miami. Several of his paintings were sold for $25,000.
Rocco now has a great relationship with his parents, they both support his work and visit his exhibitions. Madonna recently wrote on social media, addressing Rocco: “Nothing brings me more joy than watching you grow as an artist!” Rocco often visits Madonna, he also maintains friendly relations with his brothers and sisters.
In August 2024, they all went on holiday to Italy together to celebrate Madonna’s 66th birthday at the luxurious Villa TreVille resort. The ageless singer was accompanied everywhere by her new boyfriend, 28-year-old footballer of Jamaican origin Akimo Morris.
