Madonna shared a touching social media tribute to her eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon, on Tuesday, in celebration of the model's 29th lap around the sun. The "Material Girl" singer took to Instagram to share several photos from throughout Lourdes' life, including snaps of her singing onstage, her modeling shots, and pictures from her childhood. "Happy Birthday Lolita! Light of my Life. Never forget who you are Little Star," Madonna wrote in the caption. "Shining brighter than all the stars in the sky. Never forget how to dream Butterfly. Never forget where you come from. From Love."
The first photo saw Lourdes and her mom looking like twins in a sweet selfie, with another snap illustrating the close bond she shares with her parents as they wrapped their arms around her. Madonna shares Lourdes with her ex-boyfriend, fitness trainer Carlos Leon, whom she met on a run in Central Park in 1994. They welcomed their daughter in 1996, yet split just seven months after her birth.
The former couple remains on good terms, with the Grammy winner telling Vanity Fair in 1998 that they worked hard to create a healthy co-parenting relationship. "He is ever-present in Lola's life, and we are friends," she explained. "And I'm very happy. It took a while for us to get to this place."
Madonna added that welcoming Lourdes was meant to be. "I knew that having a child would be an incredible healing experience...because I didn't have a mother. I just knew my karma was to have a girl, and I instinctively had a longing for her. But I didn't know what it was going to be like." She even wrote the song "Little Star" about her eldest daughter, which featured on her 1998 album Ray of Light.
Learn more about Lourdes' budding music career below...
Lourdes and her mother are incredibly close, despite constant clashes throughout her teen years. The budding singer, whose stage name is Lolahol, shared with Interview magazine that it wasn't until she was an adult that she learned to appreciate Madonna. "I didn't fully comprehend that until I realized the importance of empowerment and what it means to be a woman," she recalled.
"She's probably the hardest worker I've ever seen. I didn't inherit that, unfortunately. I inherited her control issues, but not her work ethic!" Lourdes added that she paid her own way through college to avoid feeling financially controlled by the mother of six.
"We don't get any handouts in my family," she explained. "Obviously, I grew up with extreme privilege. There's no denying that. But I think my mom saw all these other kids of famous people, and she was like, 'My kids are not going to be like this.'"
She continued: "I feel like if your parents pay for things, then it gives them leverage over you. My mom is such a control freak, and she has controlled me my whole life. I needed to be completely independent from her as soon as I graduated high school."