The cause of death for Madonna’s older brother was finally revealed several weeks after he passed away.
Anthony Ciccone suffered from a number of illnesses, including throat cancer and respiratory failure, before passing away. According to the tabloid TMZ, smoking contributed to oropharyngeal cancer, which led to his death at age 66.
Ciccone passed away on February 25 at a Michigan nursing home where he was receiving care that was paid for by his well-known sister. Anthony had asked to have his feeding and breathing tubes taken out two days prior to his passing, according to TMZ, even though he knew it would be fatal.
Joseph Henry, the husband of Melanie Ciccone, the younger sister of Madonna, posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram to mark his passing.
Anthony Gerard Ciccone, whom Henry had known since they were both young children in Michigan many years ago, had passed away, Henry wrote alongside a photo of Ciccone as a young man. Henry claimed that although Ciccone was a complicated individual and that they undoubtedly occasionally quarreled like real brothers, he loved and understood him more than he frequently let on.
Two days after her brother’s passing, Madonna created an emotional social media memorial for him. He was responsible for introducing her to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Buddhism, Taoism, and expansive thinking as a young girl, and she thanked him for doing so. Despite their growing estrangement over the years, the pop singer allegedly paid for her troubled sibling’s hospital stay and provided him with support from a distance.
They were all there for him, according to a source who spoke to People Magazine, and despite their occasionally tense relationship, Madonna assisted him whenever he was ready to do so. When his condition began to deteriorate, Madonna and other family members paid him visits while he was receiving treatment.
Ciccone, who was the oldest of her five siblings and was born to Catholic parents in Michigan, was two years older than Madonna. His long periods of homelessness and alcoholism made it difficult for him to maintain relationships with his family, and he reportedly refused to accept what he perceived to be charity from his famous sister.
