Anthony Ciccone, Madonna’s oldest brother, died at the age of 66 after battling alcoholism and homelessness.
In an Instagram post featuring a black and white photo of Anthony, musician Joe Henry, the husband of Madonna’s sister Melanie Ciccone, confirmed his death.
“My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening,” Henry on Saturday.
“I’ve known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone.”
The cause of death for Anthony has not been determined.
He battled alcoholism for several years. During that time, he was said to have lived on the streets of Michigan, even living under a bridge at one point.
Anthony accused Madonna and his father, Silvio Ciccone, of abandoning him in 2013.
“Madonna doesn’t give a s**t if I’m dead or alive,” he told the Daily Mail at the time. “She lives in her own world.”
“I never loved her in the first place, she never loved me. We never loved each other,” he claimed.
Anthony added: “My father would be very happy if I died of hypothermia and then he would not have to worry about it anymore.
He said that his father “doesn’t want to be bothered, he’s lived his life you see. He doesn’t like me.”
He added: “He doesn’t want me to be me, he wants me to be somebody else. He thinks the way I live is intentional. He simply doesn’t know me.”
“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,” Henry said.
“But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on.”
Henry said that “trouble fades” while “family remains – with hands reached across the table.”
He added: “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.”
