Madonna Breaks Silence On Older Brother Anthony's Death & The 'Important Seeds' He Planted

Madonna is grieving the death of her older brother Anthony Ciccone in an emotional tribute she paid to him on the internet.

The infamous Ciccone, who previously battled alcoholism and suffered homelessness, died last week at 66. The cause of his death has, however, not been disclosed by family members.

Although the queen of pop and Ciccone had a strained relationship over the years because of his substance abuse, Madonna still went ahead to revere her deceased brother in her recent Instagram post.

The "Frozen On Fire" singer dedicated a moment to remembering the sweet memories she shared with her late brother Anthony Ciccone.

Taking to her Instagram story, Madonna posted a black-and-white throwback image of herself and Ciccone surrounded by friends and appreciated him for the wisdom he passed down to her, from different religions and his favorite novelists to music recommendations.

In the image, the "Hung Up" crooner and her eldest sibling appeared to be smiling at the crowded table alongside their numerous friends.

Madonna had her arm wrapped around a man in a black leather jacket while she donned a leopard shawl over her shoulders. The singer's sibling, on the other hand, looked handsome, dressed in a black outfit, and had his face turned away from the camera.   

Attaching a grateful message to the post, she wrote, "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 Outside the Box." Madonna sweetly added, "You planted many important seeds ……… . . ❤️"

Before the "Like A Virgin" crooner shared her touching tribute to social media, her brother-in-law, Joe Henry, confirmed the unfortunate passing of Ciccone on his Instagram account on Sunday.

Per The Blast, Henry, who is the husband to Madonna's sister, Melanie, shared a black-and-white picture of Ciccone and captioned it with the heartbreaking announcement.

In the lengthy 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."

The bereaved friend of the deceased continued, "As brother Dave Henry (the photographer of Ciccone'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."

Looking at the future, he further remarked, noting that while "trouble eventually fades," the family will always remain with their "hands reached" out to each other.

Henry concluded with a touching message to Ciccone, writing, "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 are two of eight children born to father Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone and a mother, who was also named Madonna, and they all grew up in Michigan. At the time of his death, Anthony had reportedly moved back to their family home in Michigan.

The "La Isla Bonita" songstress and elder brother didn't have a tight bond and it is believed his struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse played a role. He eventually went to rehab in 2017 and as a result reconnected with the Ciccone family including Madonna.

The Queen of pop was reportedly responsible for paying for Anthony to stay in a Texas rehab center for two months.

While Madonna is presently dealing with the loss of her brother in the best way she can, the entertainer was recently faced with handling baseless rumors flying around on the internet about her ever-constant facial changes due to plastic surgery.

The Michigan native, however, turned the tide around after poking fun at her fans who criticized her facial appearance with a post she shared on Twitter, showing off herself.

In the image, Madonna looked stylish as she rocked a baggy black shirt paired with ripped jeans and a cap with the words "Spiritually Hungry." Her face was makeup free, and her hair beneath the hat was in braids. The "Into The Groove" singer posed with her arms crossed as she sat back on a chair. 

Captioning the post, the queen of pop jokingly wrote, "Look how cute I am now that swelling from surgery gone down. Lol." Admiring the singer's witty comeback, her post gained attention from fans, with thousands of people commenting about the image. A couple of her followers took to praising her look and encouraging her.

A fan commented, "I love your sense of humor"! While another wrote, "Mother. Thanks for always living life on your own terms." A third added, "You look gorgeous, but then you always have."