A little more than a month after his death was made public, pop star Madonna’s brother’s cause of death is being revealed.
After Anthony Ciccone’s death certificate was obtained by TMZ, the organization reported that Ciccone died of respiratory failure and throat cancer.
Madonna’s oldest brother, Ciccone passed away in February. He was 66 years old.
It’s unclear how long Ciccone battled throat cancer, but according to TMZ, tobacco has been listed as a major “contributing factor.”
The news of Anthony’s passing comes from Madonna’s brother-in-law, Joe Henry, who is married to her sister Melanie. Joe shared the news via a statement on Instagram.
“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.”
Joe Henry continued, “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.”
Madonna has not yet issued a statement of her own. It’s unclear what kind of relationship Madonna and her brother had a relationship before his passing.
As Joe alluded to in his statement, and as Anthony himself talked about in 2012, he told EXTRA that he was “estranged“ from his family, as well as “homeless and living under a bridge” in Detroit.
However, five years later, in 2017, their brother, Christopher, claimed that they had reunited with Anthony.
According to Page Six, Anthony struggled with alcohol abuse. “Most family members had a difficult relationship with him due to his disease [with alcohol],” a source told Page Six.
The source continued, “Madonna helped to support her brother when he would accept that support. During his final months he was in contact with family and Madonna, but this past week he refused the support the rehab facility offered and it was clear he was ready to move on.”
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