Meet Madonna’s 7 siblings — including her famous artist brother and award-winning sister

Madonna had a difficult relationship with her brother Anthony who reportedly struggled with addiction issues and alcoholism. The singer shared a tribute to her brother shortly after his passing in 2023, thanking him for introducing her to the likes of Charles Bukowski , Jack Kerouac and Miles Davis, among others.

Anthony’s brother-in-law Joe Henry publicly broke the news in an Instagram post saying: “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.”

The ‘Like a Virgin’ singer’s brother Martin also briefly attempted a career in music, releasing a rap album in 1994, under the name MC Ciccone. Martin has struggled with addiction in the past but credited sister Madonna with helping him put his life back together, telling The National Enquirer that they were on “good terms”. 

He was then working at a Hollywood rehab facility, helping others with their addiction issues. He explained, “She’s getting me some new teeth. I’m hoping to start doing voice-over work again for cartoons and video games and get back on my feet”.

The singer’s sister Paula also dreamed of a life in showbiz and made the move to New York in order to chase them. She’s credited behind the scenes as an effects coordinator for I Love Trouble and visual effects for Space Jam.

She eventually returned to Michigan and has since won awards as a winemaker at her father’s vineyard, finding her calling in a different form of creativity.

Madonna found a strong creative collaborator in her younger brother Christopher. During his life, Christopher found acclaim as an artist and designer, appeared as one of her early back up dancers and even worked as art director for her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour and tour director for The Girlie Show. 

Their once close bond was strained on the release of Christopher’s 2008 memoir Life with My Sister Madonna. Fortunately, the pair reconciled before his death in 2024.

Younger sister Melanie, nicknamed ‘Smells’, keeps her private life out of the spotlight. But clearly the draw of creative talent runs deep and Melanie found love with singer Joe Henry. Madonna even co-wrote 2000 hit ‘Don’t Tell Me’ with her brother-in-law, finding inspiration after hearing a demo of Joe’s track ‘Stop’. 

He told Variety: “My [demo] version was written in about 20 minutes, and I did not revise it. I let it stand for the burst that it was. Madonna heard its pop sensibility, and sculpted a chorus out of a passing stanza from my original take. That repetition gave it weight, and expanded it, sharpened a hook that I had barely gestured toward.”

After Madonna’s mother Madonna Louise Ciccone passed away, her father Silvio remarried, tying the knot with the family housekeeper Joan in 1966, making Jennifer and Mario the half-siblings of the singing icon.

Like her half-sister Paula, Jennifer has worked at the family’s vineyard. She even tied the knot there in 2011.

Madonna’s half-brother Mario Ciccone also spent a few years in the music business. He told Northern Express that his sister “encouraged me to come to L.A. to check it out for a year and to see if I could find some people to play with out there. I packed up all my stuff and along with a drummer friend moved to L.A.”

He got a demo deal with Warner Brothers, simultaneously working at Maverick Records and a more corporate role in marketing. Mario stepped away from performing, explaining that he “wanted to be involved in this industry for the long term, helping bands and breaking new bands.”  He’s also worked as the manager of the family’s vineyard.