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Thursday's Final Word
Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Ciccone, has died. She was 81 years old.
The “Like a Virgin” singer’s mother died on Tuesday after “a brief encounter with a very aggressive cancer,” according to an online obituary.
“She will be terribly missed by her family and friends whose lives she enriched with her enthusiasm, joy and love,” reads the obit.
Reps for the singer did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Joan married Madonna’s father, Silvio Tony Ciccone, in April 1966, and inherited his six kids — Anthony, Martin, Madonna, Paula, Christopher and Melanie Ciccone — all of whom he welcomed with his late wife, also named Madonna.
Madonna Sr. died of breast cancer in 1963 when the singer was just 5 years old.
In a Mother’s Day post earlier this year, the “Like a Prayer” singer remembered losing her mother, saying she “just watched her disintegrate mysteriously.”
“Then she disappeared and there was no explanation except that she had gone to sleep which explains my tumultuous relationship with sleep.”
In contrast, the seven-time Grammy winner didn’t experience a close relationship with her stepmother either. In a 2002 interview with Larry King, she described her “difficult” relationship with her stepmother, admitting that she “didn’t accept” Joan when she was growing up.
The singer also claimed she “sometimes suffered” during “moments of chaos” in her childhood.
“My mother died when I was little and that was difficult for me for a while,” she explained.
“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.”
