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Celebrities who tragically lost family members
Madonna's brother passes away from cancer weeks after her stepmother
© Getty Images
We always see our favorite stars beaming into the camera lens, whether at publicity events, film premieres, or awards ceremonies. That's what makes it all the more shocking when we see their smiles swapped for tears when tragedy strikes. While celebrities may have talent, fame, and money, nothing can protect them from the human reality of grief and loss.
Madonna has experienced multiple losses in her family in recent years. It started in early 2023 with the death of her older brother, Anthony Ciccone, who died at 66 after a battle with throat cancer. Their stepmother, Joan Gustafson Ciccone, passed away from cancer at the age of 81 in September. Most recently, her younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, also died of cancer on October 4 at the age of 63. Madonna confirmed the sad news in a tribute to her brother on social media. "He was the closest human to me for so long," she wrote of Christopher. "Its hard to explain our bond. But it grew out of an understanding that we were different and society was going to give us a hard time for not following the status quo. We took each other‘s hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood. In fact dance was a kind of superglue that held us together. Discovering dance in our small Midwestern town saved me and then my brother came along, and it saved him too." Christopher is survived by his husband, Ray Thacker, who was by his side when he died.
Click through the gallery to learn which other stars tragically lost family members.
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