Madonna's oldest brother Anthony Ciccone's cause of death has been revealed to be cancer as well as other health issues.
Ciccone died in February at the age of 66, and his death certificate states that it was down to a combination of respiratory failure and throat cancer, according to TMZ.
The document also states that Ciccone's smoking was a factor in causing his oropharyngeal cancer, stating that his tobacco use contributed to his death.
Ciccone had been getting treatment at a nursing facility in Michigan ahead of his death, which Madonna was reportedly funding for him.
Two days before Ciccone died, his feeding and breathing tubes were reportedly removed. The document also states that Ciccone has since been cremated.
Ciccone's relationship with his sister had not always been easy, due to him reportedly suffering from alcoholism, which led to him becoming homeless and affecting his relationship with his family.
News of his death was first shared by Madonna's brother-in-law, musician Joe Henry, who is married to her sister Melanie Ciccone - who had shared a tribute online.
Henry wrote at the time: "My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, exited this earthly plane last evening. I’ve known him since I was 15, in the spring of our lives in Michigan so many years now gone.
"As brother Dave Henry (who took this photograph) notes here, 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."
Madonna, 64, had also paid tribute to her late brother, sharing a photo of them enjoying a night out with a group of friends.
She wrote: "Thank you for blowing my mind as a young girl and introducing me to Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, expansive thinking outing the box. You planted many important seeds."
Madonna grew up with Ciccone and their six other siblings - Martin, Paula, Melanie, Christopher, Jennifer, and Mario - on the outskirts of Detroit.
Ciccone had given several interviews criticizing his family for their alleged lack of support, saying: "I’m a zero in their eyes - a non-person. I’m an embarrassment," per Page Six.
"If I froze to death, my family probably wouldn’t know or care about it for six months," he said in 2011. "My father would be very happy if I died of hypothermia, then he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. He's old-school, he grew up in the depression."
However, despite Ciccone's past claims, the Daily Mail reported that Madonna offered to pay for him to go to a rehab facility for treatment, which he ended up doing and completing in 2017.
Our thoughts remain with Anthony Ciccone's family and friends at this time.
