Madonna is mourning the loss of her brother.
Anthony Ciccone died late Friday night, according to other loved ones who first reported his death on social media. He was 66 years old.
He and Madge had been very close at points in their younger years. But in more recent times, the 64-year-old superstar had been estranged from her older brother. In recent years, Anthony had been homeless and living on the street and under bridges in the family’s home state of Michigan.
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However, according to more recent reports, it appears Anthony had gotten back into a better housing situation. According to People, he had been living in a rehab facility over the past few months as his health slowly gave out. And the end of his life has hit the entire family hard — Madge included.
On Monday, the Material Girl singer took to her Instagram Stories to mourn Anthony’s passing with a touching photo and a short but very sweet message. The A-list performer showed off an old pic from the 1980s in which she and Anthony were surrounded by friends at a table and laughing during better, happier times. Along with the vintages snap, Madonna praised her late brother for “blowing my mind” with some of the artistic influences he pushed onto her when they were young.
The Like A Virgin singer 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. You planted many important seeds…”
Wow. For an artist who has always been soulful and focused on impactful self-expression like Madonna, there may be no greater compliment than that.
As for her relationship with Anthony, it appears the two may have been able to mend things recently. Or, at least they seem to have been able to reconnect a bit in the months before his death. An insider spoke to People about the situation leading up to last week’s tragedy, saying:
“[Though they were] estranged, Madonna supported him in every way she could when he was willing to take the support. Family members including Madonna visited him while in his rehab facility as he declined these past few months.”
Wow. So sad — but we hope those visits were meaningful and helpful for all involved.
Anthony’s death first came to light over the weekend when Madonna’s brother-in-law Joe Henry — who is married to Madge’s sister Melanie Ciccone — revealed the awful event on social media. Using his Instagram account on Saturday evening to share the heartbreaking news, Henry 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. 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. 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.”
Such a sad situation all around.
We are sending all of our love to Madonna and the rest of her extended family — and Anthony’s other friends and loved ones, as well — during this difficult time.
R.I.P.
[Image via The Tonight Show/YouTube]