Despite her bold and rebellious public image, Madonna holds her family close to her heart. Sadly her family has now grown smaller with the passing of her stepmother, Joan Ciccone, at the age of 81.
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Joan died.
Joan’s death was caused by aggressive cancer which claimed her life in a short time.
“She will be terribly missed by her family and friends whose lives she enriched with her enthusiasm, joy and love,” the obituary says. Read obituary shared by People.
Madonna’s own mother passed away from cancer when the singer was just five years old. Three years later, her father remarried, but Madonna and her stepmother Joan had a difficult relationship. Despite challenges, Joan fulfilled her role as a parent to Madonna and her five siblings.
Madonna has not yet spoken publicly about Joan’s passing. However, in a past interview with Larry King, she reflected, saying, “My mother died when I was little and that was difficult for me for a while,” she said. “I mean truthfully, I didn’t accept my stepmother when I was growing up. In retrospect, I think that was really hard on her. She was [trying]… I’m very close to my father and I didn’t want to accept change in my life.”
Madonna’s father, Silvio Ciccone, is still alive and recently celebrated his 93rd birthday, an event the singer marked by sharing a touching family photo.
