Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 16:03 28 Feb 2023 GMT
Madonna has posted a tribute to her older brother, Anthony Ciccone, who sadly passed away at the age of 66 last week.
The devastating news was first announced by the 64-year-old singer's brother-in-law, musician Joe Henry - who is married to her sister Melanie Ciccone - over the weekend.
Writing a heartbreaking post on Instagram, Henry revealed: "My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening. I’ve known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone."
The tribute continued: "As brother Dave Henry (who took this photograph) notes here, Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can. "
Read Henry's tribute below:"But I loved him and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on. But trouble fades; and family remains - with hands reached across the table.
"Farewell, then, brother Anthony. I want to think the god your blessed mother (and mine) believed in has her there, waiting to receive you. At least for today, no one shall dissuade me from this vision," the 62-year-old added.
On Monday (February 27), the 'Vogue' hitmaker took to her social media to commemorate her brother by fondly remembering the wisdom he passed down to her, from different religions and his favorite authors to music recommendations.
In the picture - which was uploaded to her Instagram Story - she can be seen smiling while sitting at a crowded table alongside several friends and Anthony.
"Thank you for blowing my mind as a young girl and introducing me to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, expansive thinking outing the box," she captioned the throwback picture.
"You planted many important seeds," she added.
Madonna grew up with Anthony and their six other siblings - Martin, Paula, Melanie, Christopher, Jennifer, and Mario - on the outskirts of Detroit.
According to Page Six, the older sibling became homeless after struggling with alcoholism for years and had two run-ins with the law.
Anthony has also given numerous interviews criticizing his family for their alleged lack of support, saying: "I’m a zero in their eyes - a non-person. I’m an embarrassment," per the outlet.
"If I froze to death, my family probably wouldn’t know or care about it for six months," he said in 2011. "My father would be very happy if I died of hypothermia, then he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. He's old-school, he grew up in the depression."
However, the Daily Mail has reported that despite his words against his family, Madonna offered to pay for him to go into a rehab facility and seek treatment - which he ended up doing and completing in 2o17.
Our thoughts are with Anthony's family and friends at this time.
