Madonna's Family Confirms Death Of Her 66-Year-Old Brother, Anthony Ciccone

Madonna's eldest brother, Anthony Ciccone, has been confirmed dead at age 66. The sad news was shared by his brother-in-law, Joe Henry, who made the announcement on his Instagram, posting a black and white photo of the late Anthony.

In the post, Henry spoke about how the Ciccone family remains connected despite Anthony's passing. Madonna and Anthony were two out of eight kids their mother had before dying from breast cancer in 1963. For years, Anthony battled alcoholism and was once homeless and living beneath a bridge in Michigan.

In 2017, Anthony completed a voluntary rehab program at the Dann's House facility and reconciled with his family. However, he previously accused the same family of not caring about him and whether he lived or froze to death. 

Read on to find out more.

Joe Henry, husband to Madonna's sister, Melanie, announced their eldest brother, Anthony, had died via an Instagram post on Saturday. 62-year-old Henry shared a black and white picture of the late Anthony and captioned it with the announcement.

In the caption, he wrote, "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."

Henry continued the caption, "As brother Dave Henry (the photographer of Anthony's photo) notes here, Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can. But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on."

In the announcement, Henry stated that while "trouble eventually fades," the family will always remain with their "hands reached" out to each other.

He concluded with a touching message to Anthony, saying, "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."

Madonna and Anthony were two of eight children, and they all grew up in Michigan with their father and mother, who was also named Madonna. At the time of his death, Anthony had moved back to their home in Michigan. Their mom died at the age of 33 back in 1963 after being diagnosed with and battling breast cancer.

Anthony dealt with alcoholism for many years of his life, to the extent of being homeless for a while. At one point, he even left the family and was photographed living under a bridge with other homeless people in Michigan.

In late 2017, the Daily Mail confirmed that Anthony had finished a rehab program, which helped him reconnect with the Ciccone family. The rehab facility, Dann's House, is a revolutionary facility that reportedly allows its residents to consume endless amounts of alcohol. The facility's founder, Karen McCarthy, spoke to the Sunday People about Anthony's stay.

She said, "Anthony loved it at Dann's House for quite a while, and made significant improvements in his life while he was with us." 

Madonna has reportedly previously paid for Anthony to stay in a Texas rehab center for two months. The "Vogue" singer also repeatedly tried to reach out to Anthony recently to reconnect.

Several years ago, Anthony spoke negatively about Madonna, his parents, and his other siblings, saying they never cared about him. According to the Daily Mail, Anthony said, "I'm a zero in their eyes – a non-person. I'm an embarrassment. If I froze to death, my family probably wouldn't know or care about it for six months."

He further said, "My father would be very happy if I died of hypothermia, then he wouldn't have to worry about it any more. He's old school, he grew up in the depression." 

Anthony directly mentioned his sister, Madonna, saying he'd "never loved" the "Material Girl" singer and they had never really "loved each other."