Madonna Mourns Brother's Death in Emotional Tribute: 'Thank You for Blowing My Mind

Madonna's older brother died at 66 years old.

Madonna has broken her silence on her older brother Anthony Ciccone's death three days after his passing.

The pop icon penned a tribute to her sibling in an Instagram Story, writing, "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. You planted many important seeds."

Accompanying the text is a black and white photograph from the 1980s, featuring all of the seven Ciccone siblings.

Ciccone's death was initially announced on Instagram by Joe Henry, Madonna's brother-in-law and songwriting collaborator, who is married to her sister Melanie.

Related: We Ranked the 100 Best Madonna Songs of All Time

"Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can. But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on," read the touching tribute. 

He continued, "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."

In a 2011 interview with The Daily Mail, Ciccone said he and Madonna "never loved each other" and believed he was seen as a "zero" in the eyes of the family. However, it seems that Ciccone's relationship with Madonna improved before his death.

Family sources told TMZ Madonna was paying for Ciccone's stay at a rehabilitation center shortly before his death. The sources also told the publication Ciccone had removed his own feeding and breathing tubes, which were keeping him alive while hospitalized due to failing health. 

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