Madonna's stepmother Joan Ciccone dies 'peacefully' after cancer battle

Madonna's stepmother, Joan Ciccone, has died after a battle with "a very aggressive cancer ."

At the age of 81, Joan, who was wed to Madonna 's father Silvio Ciccone, passed away "peacefully" on Tuesday following a short period of illness. An online memorial expressed the family's profound sorrow at her passing.

The obituary stated: "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."

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After the death of his first wife, also named Madonna, Silvio married Joan in 1966. She became a mother figure to his six children and they had three more together, including a son who tragically died soon after birth.

The obituary continued: "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.", reports the Daily Star .

A funeral service is set to honor Joan's memory in Lake Leelanau, Michigan, on October 4. She leaves behind her husband, their children, and grandchildren.

Madonna's biological mother passed away in 1963 from breast cancer when the singer was just five years old. The pop icon has openly discussed the challenging relationship she had with her stepmother Joan.

In a raw and moving discussion with Larry King back in 2002, pop icon Madonna opened up about the personal turmoil following her mother's death, admitting: "I had moments of chaos and sometimes I suffered."

She shared the heartache of losing her mother at a young age, noting: "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."

Looking back, Madonna acknowledged the hardship this must have placed on her stepmother, saying: "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."

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