Madonna has paid a heartfelt tribute to her late brother Anthony Ciccone.
Over the weekend, a representative for the Queen of Pop’s family announced that Anthony had died on Friday at the age of 66. No cause of death was given.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Monday, Madonna thanked her older sibling for introducing her to “expansive thinking”.
Alongside a black-and-white throwback photo showing the pair at a party, the singer wrote: “Thank you for blowing my mind as a young girl and introducing me to Charlie Parker, Miles David, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, expansive thinking, outside the box.”
Madonna, 64, concluded the post, “You planted many important seeds.”
She didn’t comment further on the sad news.
Earlier, Joe Henry – who is married to Madonna’s sister Melanie – offered his own tribute to Anthony in which he described him as a “true brother”.
“Trouble fades; and family remains – with hands reached across the table. Farewell, then, brother Anthony,” he posted on Instagram. “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.”