Madonna recalls her mom's 1963 death from breast cancer in emotional Mother's Day post: 'Nobody told me my mother was dying'

• Singer's mother died of breast cancer when she was five-years-old 
• Madonna said that amid the family tragedy, the adults in her family did not explain to her what was happening to her mother 
• Artist wrapped up her Celebration Tour with massive Brazil show May 4 

Madonna took to Instagram on Sunday to commemorate Mother's Day with a post remembering her late mother Madonna Louise Ciccone, who died at the age of 30 in 1963 when the singer was five-years-old.

The 65-year-old pop superstar shared a carousel of photos, the first three as she performed in front of enormous screens with her mother's image on them on her recent Celebration Tour.

'I stood on stage for 81 shows staring up at the beautiful face of my mother and wondering what she must’ve been thinking as she waved goodbye to me from her hospital window,' the pop icon said in the caption. 'I stepped into the station wagon and shut the door not knowing it was the last time I’d see her.'

The singer went on to say that amid the family tragedy, the adults in her family did not explain to her what was happening to her mother.

'Nobody told me my mother was dying - I just watched her disintegrate mysteriously and then she disappeared and there was no explanation except that she had gone to sleep,' Madonna said.

The Grammy-winning singer said that the sleep-related explanation in regards to her mother's passing helps explain a 'tumultuous relationship with sleep' she's carried into adulthood.

The artist of hits including Vogue, Material Girl and Music said that showing her mother's image during her concert tour had a cathartic impact on her.

'When I stepped out on the stage and looked up at my mothers face every night,' she said. 'I said hello I said goodbye. I said Thank you. I hope you’re proud of me. I said Please protect me and keep me sane.'

The musical artist, whose full name is Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, is mother to six kids: Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco Ritchie , 23, David Banda, 18, Mercy James, 18, and twins Stella and Estere, 11.

She shared an assortment of photos of her kids as she said it's a 'rare and comforting' feeling that all of her children 'sleep under one roof,' adding, 'They grow up too fast and spin out in different directions.'

Madonna said that she has 'a hard time letting go' from a parenting perspective.

Among the slides Madonna included was a shot of David Banda onstage in front of a screen with the image of his late biological mother Malita.

Said the singer: 'I would look up at. Davids Mother -Malita across the stage And have the same thoughts. Was I doing a good job ? Is she proud of her Son? Am I the mother she would want me to be??'

Madonna said she 'became very close' to her kids on the tour trail, as her younger four children took the stage on select shows.

'We clung to each other,' Madonna said. 'In the long hours we worked and struggled. They helped me manifest my dreams. In the chaos and the storms ... the monotony and repetition ... the sleepless nights and the endless packing and unpacking.'

She added, 'All the sacrifices. We made together. So many hours of Blood Sweat and Tears. Grateful for the privilege of bringing people together with Music. But also we just wanted to sleep in.'

The Papa Don't Preach performer offered her thoughts on what it means to be a parent in the holiday post.

'No Easy way into the motherhood game,' she said. 'No manual or University. Just trial and error and learn and succeed and then fail again. Finally the realization that they were raising me and not the other way around.

'I always laugh with friends and say motherhood = suffering. But it’s not a joke it’s the truest thing I’ve ever said. But I wouldn’t change it for anything.'

Madonna received kind words from fellow celebrities such as Katy Perry and Diplo in the adjacent comment thread.

Diplo called the superstar a 'mother to us all' while Perry called her 'a wonderful mother' and 'a great human being.'

A number of Madonna's closet friends in show business, including actress Debi Mazar and her A League of Their Own costar Rosie O'Donnell, also commented on the thread.

O'Donnell said Madonna's post was 'just beautiful,' while Mazar called her post 'so poignant, wise and raw.'

Mazar wrapped up in saying, 'Happy Mothers Day! You’re an amazing mother.'