Meet Madonna's 7 siblings – including her famous artist brother and her award-winning sister

Madonna has a large family as mother of Lourdes Leon, Rocco Ritchie, David Banda, Chifundo “Mercy” James and the twins Stella and Estere.

When she took her family on her final tour, she explained that her children had learned a lot from her: “I think what my children learned most during this year of rehearsals and performances is that you have to work hard for your dreams if you want to follow them. And if they decide to do something else later in life, they will never forget this year of blood, sweat and tears.”

Madonna learned the same lesson when she left her home in Michigan to go to New York and become a singer. She told Rolling Stone, “If my mother hadn't died and I had grown up with a sense of wholeness and completeness and family, I probably would have stayed in Michigan and become a teacher.”

Many people may not be aware that Madonna, like her children, grew up in a confined environment. Her father Silvio “Tony” Ciccone and her mother Madonna Louise Ciccone had six children together: Anthony, Martin, Madonna, Paula, Christopher and Melanie.

© @madonna

After the matriarch's death in 1963, Madonna's father married the family's housekeeper, Joan, in 1966 and welcomed Jennifer and Mario.

Here's everything you need to know about Madonna's seven brothers and sisters.

Anthony

© SplashNews.com

The eldest Ciccone brother had an incredible influence on his sister. Madonna credits her eldest brother with introducing her to “Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Buddhism, Taoism, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac” and “expansive thinking outside the box.”

Despite clearly having an impact on Madonna's life, Anthony became homeless in 2011 and was reportedly living under the Union Street Bridge in Traverse City, Michigan. In 2017, his younger brother Christopher confirmed that he was “back home” and recovering after spending time in a treatment center.

In 2023, the 66-year-old reportedly died of respiratory failure and throat cancer. The news was delivered by Melanie Ciccone's husband Joe Henry, who said: “My brother-in-law, Anthony Gerard Ciccone, left this earthly plane last night. I have known him since I was 15 years old, in the springtime of our life in Michigan, so many years ago now.”

He continued: “As Brother Dave Henry (who took this photo) notes here, Anthony was a complex character; and God knows: we clashed at moments, as true brothers can. But I loved him and understood him better than I sometimes cared to admit. But the problems pass; and the family remains – with hands outstretched across the table.

“Farewell, Brother Anthony. I want to believe that the God in whom your blessed mother (and mine) believed is there, waiting to receive you. For today at least, no one will dissuade me from this vision.”

His obituary described him as a “voracious reader” and “a great music lover with a wandering spirit,” but added that he was a “loner.” At times, Anthony was “isolated for much of his adult life by the addiction that contributed to his early death – yet he was invigorated by community and a sense of belonging.”

The obituary further stated that he left behind his son, Angelo Lawson-Smith.

Martin

© Vinnie Zuffante

Madonna's older brother Martin has tried his hand at many things over the years, from working in the US Army to opening a restaurant. In 1994, he released a rap album under the name MC Ciccone that was allegedly directed against his sister.

Like Anthony, Martin has struggled with addiction issues. According to the Daily Mail, he was charged with drink-driving, served time in prison and was in rehab. However, in 2013, he made it clear that he had a good relationship with his famous sister.

While working at a rehab center in Hollywood, he revealed: “We get along well and she's helping me. She's making new teeth for me. I hope to go back to working as a voice actor for cartoons and video games and get back on my feet.”

Paula

© Vinnie Zuffante

Madonna's sister Paula followed her example and moved to New York with dreams of show business. She took on behind-the-scenes jobs such as effects coordinator for I Love Trouble (1994) and visual effects for Space Jam (1996).

She later moved back to Michigan and worked as an artist before settling on a corporate job. Today, the famously shy sister is an award-winning winemaker at her father's winery.

Christopher

© KMazur

The younger brother of Madonna, Christopher was a respected artist, interior decorator and designer in his own right. He began his career as a dancer, taking dance lessons at Oakland University before joining La Groupe de La Place Royal in Ottawa.

He worked closely with his sister throughout her career, dancing for her at the beginning of her career and even becoming artistic director of her Blond Ambition World Tour in 1990 and tour director of the Girlie Show.

The couple fell out after he published his 2008 book Life with My Sister Madonna, in which he explained that they had fallen out over financial reasons. He accused her then-husband Guy Ritchie of homophobic behavior in the book.

In 2012, he revealed that they were “brother and sister again. I don't work for them and that's for the best.”

Melanie

© Stefan Rousseau – PA Images

Madonna is probably closest to her younger sister Melanie, whom she affectionately calls “Smells.” She keeps a relatively low profile, but is married to singer-songwriter Joe Henry.

The couple met through Madonna, according to Joe, who said: “[Madonna] was bright and impatient, and to tell the truth, she frightened me quite a bit, but along with her sister Paula, her presence… opened a door through which I could walk, and my life changed completely and forever.

He added that for him, when it comes to his wife, “there is no other and there never has been another.”

Madonna once said of her sister, “I'm so lucky to have my sister Melanie in this room right now,” adding, “No one knows better than she does what it's like to survive in our toxic and dysfunctional Michigan family.”

Jennifer

© @madonna

Little is known about Jennifer, but she has worked on the family winery. She married on the property in 2011 and has been photographed at her sister's concerts over the years. The two were last seen together at her father's 90th birthday.

Mario

© Vinnie Zuffante

While the youngest Ciccone brother now manages the family vineyard, he once dreamed of entering the music industry like his sister.

“One day I was on the phone with my sister and she encouraged me to come to LA for a year to check out the city and see if I could find people to play with,” he told the Northern Express. “I packed up all my things and moved to LA with a drummer friend of mine.”

He eventually signed a demo deal with Warner Brothers, but creative differences and difficulties in the industry led him to give up his musical dreams.