Madonna‘s stepmother, Joan Ciccone, has died after a battle with “a very aggressive cancer.”
The 81-year-old — who was married to the singer’s father, Silvio Ciccone — passed away “peacefully” on Tuesday, Sept. 24, after a brief bout of ill health. A memorial posted online revealed her family’s sadness over the loss.
“Joan Clare Ciccone passed away peacefully early in the morning of September 24th, 2024, after a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer,” it read. “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, three years after the death of his first wife — Madonna’s mother, who shared the same name as the singer. She took on his six kids and they had three children of their own, including a son who died shortly after birth.
“She took special joy in her grandkids later in life and, with the grim cancer prognosis, lamented that she … would not see them marry and have kids of their own,” the obituary added.
Funeral arrangements
Joan will be remembered at a funeral in Lake Leelanau, Mich., on Oct. 4. She is survived by her husband as well as their children and grandchildren.
Madonna‘s mother died Dec. 1, 1963, after a battle with breast cancer, when the pop star was 5 years old. The “Material Girl” singer, now 66, later admitted she had a difficult relationship with her stepmom.
During an appearance on Larry King‘s talk show in 2002, Madonna explained she struggled to accept change after her mother passed away.
“I had moments of chaos and sometimes I suffered,” she said. “My mother died when I was little, and that was difficult for me for a while. My father [raised me] and eventually my stepmother … 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.”
