Last February, the news of the death of Anthony Cicconthe older brother of Madonnaalthough the causes were unknown. Now, more than a month later, the reason has already been revealed.
It was Joe Henry, the musician husband of another of the singer’s sisters, who announced the sad news of the death of the 68-year-old man via social networks: “My brother-in-law left the land plane tonight. I’ve known him since he was 15”.
The post described the former Ciccone as a “complex” man – “and God knows we’ve had our disagreements,” the musician added. “Problems go away and family stays. Goodbye brother. I want to think that God is waiting for you up there to receive you,” the message concludes.
At first, the “Queen of Pop” made no comments or statements about the death of her older brother, since the relationship between the two had not been very good for years. But after Ciccone’s death, the singer released a stories from Instagram thanking him.
“Thanks for blowing my mind and introduce me to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautiga, Jack Kerouac… You have planted some very important seeds,” he said in the post.
Tobacco, main cause
But beyond age and the strained relationship Anthony Ciccone had with Madonna and her familyAs he lived for years on the streets without accepting money from his relatives, little was known about him.
It was the media TMZ which revealed the cause of his death for health reasons. According to the online portal, the death certificate reveals that he died of respiratory failure and throat cancer.
Apparently Ciccone suffered oropharyngeal cancer, a problem usually caused by excessive tobacco consumption. Remember that Madonna’s brother was an alcoholic and had to be admitted to a rehabilitation center around 2018 after finally accepting help from his family.
Anthony Ciccone was the eldest of Madonna’s eight siblings. In 2011, he gave an interview to The Michigan Messenger in which he criticized his sister and admitted that he would never accept her money: “I am a zero in her eyes, a shame for her, who lives in her own bubble”.