Fresh Fears for Madonna's Health: 'Material Girl' Diva 'Shattered' by Death of 'Violent' Stepmother Joan Ciccone Despite Pair's Troubled Relationship
Madonna's family fear for her health after the death of the singer's stepmother.
Sept. 27 2024, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Madonna has been left "shattered" by the death of her stepmother, sparking fresh health fears.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the singer's family is concerned about how the Material Girl diva will cope in the wake of Joan Ciccone's passing.
Ciccone died on Tuesday following a battle with "a very aggressive cancer".
A source said: "Madonna is in bits over this.
The veteran singer grew close to Joan Ciccone after clashing during childhood.
"She and Joan had their very, very well-known differences and a really, really troubled relationship.
"But Madonna sees her death as a part of her family slipping away and it's put her mortality in focus.
"She had her own brutal health scare that nearly killed her, and this is making her reclusive and depressed.
"Everyone around her is doing their best to take care of her, but they're really worried about how she will cope."
Madonna suffered her own medical emergency last year after suffering a bacterial infection.
Joan, who passed away aged 81, was married to the singer's father Silvio Ciccone.
A memorial posted online revealed her family's sadness over the loss.
It read: "Joan Clare Ciccone passed away peacefully early in the morning of September 24th, 2024, after a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer.
"She will be terribly missed by her family and friends whose lives she enriched with her enthusiasm, joy and love."
Joan married Silvio in 1966 following the death of his first wife – Madonna's mother who shared the same name as the singer – and took on his six kids.
They had three children of their own including a son who died shortly after birth.
The obituary added: "She took special joy in her grandkids later in life and with the grim cancer prognosis lamented that she was sad she would not see them marry and have kids of their own."
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The star's father married Joan Ciccone following the death of Madonna's birth mother.
Joan will be remembered at a funeral in Lake Leelanau, Michigan on October 4. She is survived by her husband as well as their children and grandchildren.
Madonna's mother died in 1963 after a battle with breast cancer when the pop star was five years old. Madonna later admitted she had a difficult relationship with her stepmom Joan.
During an appearance on Larry King's talk show in 2002, Madonna said she struggled to accept change after her mother passed away.
She said: "I had moments of chaos and sometimes I suffered.
Madonna once told Larry King she struggled to accept her stepmother when growing up.
"My mother died when I was little and that was difficult for me for a while. My father (raised me) and eventually my stepmothers.
"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 revealed her stepmother slapped her and kept a religious Catholic household, where she had to abide by strict rules like being forbidden to use tampons, according to Grunge.
This pain and resentment found its way into Madonna's music, with her song Mother and Father touching on themes of abandonment and betrayal.
However, as time passed, the pop star's stance softened.
The singer suffered her own health scare last year when she was hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection.
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