Madonna Pays Tribute to Her Older Brother, Anthony Ciccone, in Wake of 66-Year-Old's Death

Anthony Ciccone, Madonna’s older brother, has died. He was 66. 

Madonna posted a tribute to her brother on Instagram on Monday. The pop icon shared a snapshot of happier times, a decades old black and white photo of them in a group, jammed into a restaurant booth.

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, You planted many important seeds…,” before ending the message with a red heart emoji. 

Ciccone’s brother-in-law, musician Joe Henry, announced his death in a tribute to him on Instagram Saturday.

“Anthony was a complex character; and God knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can,” Henry wrote. 

“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,” he continued. “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.”

Ciccone reportedly had a history with alcohol abuse and was homeless for a number of years. 

Madonna and her seven siblings grew up in Michigan, where her older brother was believed to have been living when he died, the New York Post reported. 

Ciccone was estranged from his family for quite some time. However, they pulled together during his stints in rehab and as his health began to decline.

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