Anthony Ciccone, Madonna's oldest brother, died at the age of 66. No cause of death was revealed.
Ciccone was one of Madonna's seven siblings, BBC noted. He is said to have struggled with alcoholism and homelessness, living under a bridge at one point.
Ciccone's brother-in-law, Joe Henry, announced the death Saturday in an Instagram post, describing him as a "complex character."
"I've known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone," wrote Henry, who is married to Madonna's sister Melanie Ciccone.
Born on May 3, 1956, Ciccone and his siblings grew up in Michigan. They lost their mother to breast cancer in 1963. In 1978, Madonna moved to New York to pursue a career in dance and music, but Ciccone stayed in Michigan.
"Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can," Henry wrote on Instagram.
"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."
According to BBC, Ciccone at one point became estranged from his family and previously accused them of not caring about him.
"I'm a zero in their eyes — a non-person. I'm an embarrassment," he said in a 2011 interview. "If I froze to death, my family probably wouldn't know or care about it for six months."
It was later reported that he completed a rehabilitation program. He and his family are said to have reconnected.
Madonna has not commented on her brother's death but "liked" Henry's Instagram post.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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