Joe Henry, Madonna’s brother-in-law, has paid homage to Madonna after hearing the news that Anthony Ciccone, Madonna’s brother, has passed away at the age of 66. Consider his message on this “complex character” further.
According to a memorial posted on Instagram by Madonna’s husband, Melanie Ciccone Henry, the singer’s brother, Anthony Ciccone, passed away on February 24 at the age of 66.
Joe announced on February 25 that his brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, had died that evening. I first met him when I was 15 and we both lived in Michigan during the spring.
Joe continued, posting a black and white portrait of Anthony, “Anthony was a complicated person, as his brother Dave Henry (the photographer) writes here; and heaven knows: we tangled in times, as genuine brothers can. But, despite my misgivings, I liked him and realized that I did understand him.”
The singer-songwriter remarked that despite “conflict fading,” “family remains— with hands stretched across the table.”
The cause of her brother’s death and whether or not Madonna, 64, would comment on it are both unknown.
Even a family friend, Debi Mazar, felt the need to express her sorrow at his passing.
“The time I spent with Anthony in the ’90s is one of my most treasured recollections. In the truest sense of the term, a Renaissance Man, “On February 26th, the Entourage starlet shared a post to Instagram. “Proselytizing, bookworm, Italian heritage, wine, and food enthusiast. In the middle of a snowstorm, he would drive his 1960s Cadillac to my Brooklyn flat, where we would boil a pot of his freshly cooked Ragu and spend the evening giggling and chatting about life.”
She spoke highly of her “bright” buddy, who “nurtured my little spirit,” and vowed to keep his compassion and smile in her memory always.
Since Madonna, Anthony, and their siblings were still young when she died from breast cancer in 1963, they lived their childhood in Detroit.
In 1989, Madonna revealed to Rolling Stone how deeply her death had affected their family: “Who I am now couldn’t exist if Mom were still here. If I were someone else, I wouldn’t be who I am now. Sometimes I have to watch my step. When time passes after a person’s death, we often embellish their character.”
On February 25th, Joe sent Anthony a “farewell” note in which he mentioned the catastrophe.
I’d like to assume that whatever god his mother and his mother worshipped is watching over you both now. No one can change my mind about my dream, at least not today.
