Music
Madonna paid for her brother’s rehab, despite familial conflict
The artist finally spoke about her brother on social media, while it is revealed that she paid for his time in rehab.
After Madonna’s brother-in-law fellow musician Joe Henry posted on social media that Anthony Ciccone had passed away at the age of 66 due to ongoing health concerns, it has come out that the 64-year-old superstar was paying for her brother’s time in rehab despite their familial conflict.
The news comes after the artist finally spoke on her brother’s memory in an Instagram story, where she credits him for teaching her about pop culture and spirituality as a child.
A strained family
The siblings have long been in a state of conflict, with Madonna and her seven other siblings frequently attempting to help Anthony with his battle with alcoholism, homelessness, and trouble with the law.
In a 2013 interview with the Daily Mail, Anthony reportedly said that neither Madonna nor the rest of the Ciccone family “[gives] a s**t if I’m dead or alive.”
“I never loved her in the first place, she never loved me. We never loved each other,” he said of his famous younger sister.
Anthony would frequently reject offers of help from the Ciccone family, often choosing life on the streets. When it became clear that Anthony was completely unable to support himself, Madonna came in to pay for her older brother’s rehab.
According to TMZ’s sources, two days before Anthony’s death on February 25, he attempted to remove his feeding and breathing tubes while at the rehab facility. He was also said to have lost a significant amount of weight in the time leading up to his death.
“During his final months, he was in contact with family and Madonna,” a source told PageSix.
“But this past week, he refused the support the rehab facility offered, and it was clear he was ready to move on.”
In 2017, Anthony was said to have completed a rehab program and reconnected with his family. It is still unclear the cause of death and what health issues he was facing.
Madonna honors the memory of her brother
Madonna took to Instagram to remember her brother and the many things in life he taught her in a story post.
“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” she captioned the story, with a picture of her and her brother surrounded by friends during what appears to be her ‘True Blue’ era in the late 80s.