Weeks after his passing, Madonna’s older brother’s cause of death was finally made public.
Several illnesses, including throat cancer and respiratory failure, contributed to Anthony Ciccone’s demise. He died at the age of 66 from oropharyngeal cancer brought on by smoking, according to the tabloid TMZ.
Ciccone passed away on February 25 while receiving care at a Michigan nursing home that was funded by his well-known sister, Madonna. Even though he knew it would be fatal, Anthony reportedly asked to have his feeding and breathing tubes removed two days prior to his passing, according to TMZ.
Madonna’s young sister Melanie Ciccone’s husband, Joseph Henry, paid tribute to the deceased on Instagram. He posted a picture of Anthony Gerard Ciccone as a young man and announced that Ciccone, whom he had known since they were both children in Michigan many years earlier, had passed away. Henry claimed that Ciccone was a complex individual who had disagreements with him just like real brothers would, but he loved and understood him.
Two days after her brother’s passing, Madonna posted an emotional tribute to him on social media. She thanked him for introducing her to musicians, philosophers, and public figures who had influenced her as a young person and an adult. Madonna is believed to have paid for her troubled brother’s hospital stay and supported him from a distance despite their growing estrangement over the years.
They were all there for him, according to a People Magazine source, and despite their occasionally tense relationship, Madonna assisted him whenever he was ready to receive it. Madonna and other family members visited him while he was receiving treatment when his condition started to worsen.
Ciccone, who was born in Michigan to Catholic parents and was two years older than Madonna, was the oldest of the six siblings. As he battled alcoholism and homelessness, his relationship with his family had reportedly suffered. He refused to accept charity from his famous sister.