Madonna’s stepmother Joan Ciccone died on Tuesday after a brief battle with cancer.
Madonna (66) mourns the death of her stepmother. Joan Ciccone died on Tuesday at the age of 81. She died peacefully in the morning “after a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer,” according to her obituary. “She will be greatly missed by her family and friends, whose lives she enriched with her enthusiasm, joy and love,” it continues to read.
Allegedly strained relationship with Madonna
Joan Ciccone used to be Madonna’s family’s housekeeper. In April 1966 she married the Queen of Pop’s father, Silvio Ciccone (93). His first wife, Madonna Louise Ciccone (1933-1963), died of breast cancer three years earlier at the age of just 30. The couple had six children, including Madonna. Silvio Ciccone has two other children with Joan Ciccone, son Mario (55) and daughter Jennifer (56).
Her stepchildren brought Joan Ciccone “special joy,” the obituary says. However, her relationship with Madonna is said to have been strained. Her stepmother “did not accept” her as a child, as Madonna said in a 2002 interview with journalist Larry King (1933-2021). “Looking back, I think that was really hard for her,” the musician admitted. “I’m very close to my father and I didn’t want to accept any changes in my life,” she explained.
Madonna lost her mother when she was five
Madonna was just five years old when her mother died. In May 2024, she dedicated an emotional Instagram post to her for Mother’s Day. “No one told me that my mother was dying – I just watched her mysteriously disintegrate, and then she disappeared, and there was no explanation other than that she had fallen asleep, which was my turbulent relationship with sleep explained,” she wrote.
During her “The Celebration Tour” a picture of her mother appeared on the screen to the song “Mother and Father”. “I stood on stage for 81 shows staring at my mother’s beautiful face and wondering what she must have been thinking as she waved goodbye to me from the hospital window,” she shared her thoughts. She didn’t just mention her mother in the song. In the booklet accompanying her hit album “Like A Prayer,” the pop star is said to have written: “This album is dedicated to my mother, who taught me how to pray.”
Source: Stern
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