Madonna Paid For Once-Homeless Brother Anthony’s Rehab Bill Before He Died
Madonna was attempting to save her brother Anthony’s life in the final years before his death this month, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to sources close to the pop star, despite Anthony’s troubled life which led to him once being homeless, Madonna had been paying for her late brother to receive treatment at a Michigan rehab center.
Sources said Anthony had been at the facility for “a while.” Two days before his death, Anthony removed his feeding/breathing tubes. An insider told TMZ that Anthony knew removing the tubes would only allow him to live for a short time.
Anthony was surrounded by family members in his final days. Sources told the outlet that Madonna’s sister Paula and his father were visiting Anthony at the rehab.
A source said that Madonna, along with her siblings, had been attempting to help Anthony for years. The pop star’s brother struggled to deal with alcoholism and lived on the streets for a period of time.
Madonna never considered herself estranged from her brother despite their complicated relationship, sources claimed.
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Over the weekend, Anthony died at the age of 66. The news was announced by Joe Henry, the husband of Madonna’s sister, Melanie Ciccone.
He wrote, “My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening … Anthony was a complex character; and god knows: we tangled in moments, as true brothers can. But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on. But trouble fades; and family remains— with hands reached across the table. Farewell, then, brother Anthony. I want to think the god your blessed mother (and mine) believed in has her there, waiting to receive you. At least for today, no one shall dissuade me from this vision.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Madonna and her family often fought over how to care for Anthony. In 2014, a source said the star had turned her back on Anthony while her father Tony and other siblings attempted to help him out.
At the time, a source said Tony’s son with his second wife, Mario, and Madonna were “done with Anthony forever. They don’t think he deserves any more chances.”
However, Madonna changed her tune and eventually reconciled with her brother.
