Madonna, the glitzy pop master of self-reinvention

From kinky virgin to Christian devotee, cowgirl to disco queen, bisexual exhibitionist to anti-war activist and beyond, the risque and border-pushing images Madonna has inhabited are countless.

The dancer and singer, who came from working-class origins in the northern state of Michigan, this week signed a groundbreaking 120-million-dollar music deal that seems destined to leave other artists in the dust as they struggle to navigate the digital age.

She was born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone in 1958, to a father of Italian origin and a mother with French-Canadian roots. Her mother died in 1963 of breast cancer, and Madonna set off for New York City in 1977 with 35 dollars in her pocket.