OK Magazine
Madonna was there for her brother Anthony Ciccone during both the good and the bad.
The Queen of Pop, 64, cared for her older sibling and was willing to do anything to allow Ciccone to receive the care he needed — even if that meant funding his stay at the rehab center, where he ultimately died on Friday, February 24, at the age of 66.
Madonna paid for the entirety of Ciccone’s treatment and residence at the facility, where her brother removed his own feeding and breathing tubes — which had been placed in him by doctors — just two days before his untimely passing, insiders revealed to a news publication on Tuesday, February 28.
Ciccone’s health had been failing in the moments leading up to his death, the sources noted, as he had lost an extreme amount of weight and was aware of the fatal consequences that would inevitably take place if he removed the tubes.
Family members had come to the rehab center to be by Ciccone’s side prior to his passing — including his sister Paula and their father.
Paula was at her brother’s bedside throughout almost all of his final hours up until he took his last breath, the insiders expressed.
- Madonna Breaks Silence After ‘Troubled’ Brother Anthony Dies At 66: ‘You Planted Many Important Seeds’
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- Madonna’s ‘Troubled’ Brother Anthony Ciccone Once Claimed He Was An ‘Embarrassment’ To His Family Before Dying At 66
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Madonna and her family had been desperately trying to help Ciccone for years, however, homelessness and alcohol abuse had become his chosen lifestyle.
Alcoholism was what led him to the streets and was the driving force that came between him and the “Material Girl” singer.
Despite a rocky relationship, Madonna never considered herself estranged from her older brother, the insiders confirmed.
He also constantly rejected help from his relatives — and doctors, in the end — except his health ultimately got to a point where he wasn’t able to take care of himself or refuse help from his family, which is when they finally stepped in.
Although Ciccone had publicly slammed his family, Madonna included, they always kept his best interest at heart, the sourced concluded.
Madonna’s sister Melanie‘s husband, John Henry, shared a sweet Instagram tribute the day after Ciccone’s death.
“My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening. I’ve known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone,” the heartwarming message read in part.
TMZ spoke to sources about Madonna funding her brother’s rehab stay.
