Breathless Mahoney is a fictional character in the American comic strip Dick Tracy, created by Chester Gould. She first appeared in the strip on May 11, 1945, and was apparently killed on August 26, 1946. The character found worldwide fame in 1990 in the film Dick Tracy, as a villainous nightclub singer played by singer/actress Madonna. The character's glamorous outfits, described extensively in the press, sparked a brief fad for 1940s fashion.