German actor Udo Kier passed away in Palm Springs, California, USA, on November 23. He was 81. His partner, Delbert McBride, confirmed the news in a statement to Variety. The official cause of death remains unknown as of writing.Amid the news of Udo Kier’s demise, it is noteworthy that he made appearances in Madonna’s October 1992 book, S*x, and her two music videos, Er*tica and Deeper and Deeper from the fifth studio album Er*tica.In fact, the album and the $50 coffee table book were released together and sparked a controversy at the time for their explicit themes.Udo Kier is survived by Delbert McBride, who is an artist. The late cult icon did not have any children. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostMore about Udo Kier’s link to MadonnaIn October 2011, Udo Kier sat down with Dazed & Confused for an exclusive interview during the magazine’s 20th anniversary issue and revealed how he crossed paths with Madonna.“I was in New York and my agent said, ‘There’s something secret going on… Steven Meisel, the photographer, wants to see you, he is doing a book – it has to do with Madonna, we don’t know exactly what it is.’ Then I went there,” Kier began.The German film star explained that when he arrived at the location, he saw a woman with no makeup surrounded by bodyguards. While he took some time to “recognize” her, he soon learnt that the Queen of Pop wanted him to play the role of her husband/ dungeon master in her book, S*x, opposite her alter ego and dominatrix, Mistress Dita.“She said, ‘I liked you in My Own Private Idaho, and then we started talking a little bit. I understood very quickly what she wanted – she wanted me to play her decadent husband. So, we did that…” Udo explained.The Armageddon actor continued that when he returned to Los Angeles, Madonna’s manager called him to ask whether he was “ready for hardcore s*x.” While he was taken aback, he accepted the role as he wanted to see how far he could go.As mentioned by Huffpost, the book also had appearances from other A-listers, including Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Campbell, Big Daddy Kane, Vanilla Ice, and Joey Stefano. Celebrity photographer Steven Meisel captured the images, and Fabien Baron served as the art director.Later that same year, Udo Kier starred in two back-to-back videos for Deeper and Deeper and the title track for Madonna’s 1992 album, Er*tica. He told Dazed & Confused that after the book, he returned to play the pop icon’s “nightlife guru” after their mutual friend and actress Debbie Mazar reached out to him with the offers.Udo Kier also joined Madonna on stage during her Celebration Tour, which spanned from October 2023 to May 2024.Madonna hasn’t issued a public statement in the wake of Kier’s demise.Exploring Udo Kier’s other notable collaborationsOver the decades, Udo Kier worked with other high-profile celebrities, including filmmaker, artist, and producer Andy Warhol. He starred in the horror projects Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974), which were produced by Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey.Kier teamed up with writer-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder for the movies The Stationmaster’s Wife, The Third Generation, and Lili Marleen. His most notable partnership came with Lars von Trier. He appeared in his projects Epidemic, Europa, The Kingdom, Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac: Vol. II.Udo also turned heads with his role in Gus Van Sant’s 1991 coming-of-age drama, My Own Private Idaho, which was based on William Shakespeare’s Henry IV and also featured River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves.Kier’s final appearance was in the 2025 award-winning film, The Secret Agent.