Madonna Turns 55: 10 Former Flames We Won't Forget

On August 16, 2013 Madonna celebrates her 55th birthday. Over the years she has dominated the art of the shock - undergoing countless changes in both her style and personal aesthetic. Her legendary music career aside, Madge has also been known to shed her romantic relationships with the seasons as well. Here's an overview of some of the men who have rocked the Queen of Pop's wild world.
Madonna told Rolling Stone in 2009 of her infatuation with little M.J. when she was growing up. "I was madly in love with him, totally smitten…he was mind-bogglingly talented. The songs he sang were not childlike at all," she said. The two met for the first time in the early 80s, then put the press on major alert after a few hangouts they had shortly after. It's not clear how romantic the two became, but Madonna has let on that she and Jackson did have an interest in getting to know one another. "He wanted to work with me, I think he wanted to get to know me, and I wanted to do the same," she explained of her relationship with the pop icon, whom she described as "shy."

Madonna's whirlwind romance with the acclaimed screen star was a tabloid staple through the latter half of the '80s. They first crossed paths in 1985 and wed that same year. By 1987, they split before breaking it off for good with a divorce in 1989. The story's got a happy ending in some respect, however - Madge and Penn have remained close friends. Word on the street is that the sparks between them have never left. Actress Debi Mazar, Madonna's longtime confidante recently slipped to Bravo's Andy Cohen that Madonna sees Penn as the only "one true love" of her life. Madonna fans who spotted Penn in the front row of a live performance last October swore that he seemed smitten. Throughout the show, he was heard cheering "She's so hot!"