Madonna is caught up in an ugly family feud over the future of her homeless brother, The National ENQUIRER has learned.
Anthony Ciccone, 58, lives with a ragtag band of vagrants in a Michigan garage, recently broke four ribs and struggles to walk on a fractured ankle.
Sources say the wealthy pop star has turned her back on Anthony, while their father Tony and several other siblings are desperate to help their down-and-out brother. Family members recently met in Tony’s home at his vineyard near Traverse City to discuss Anthony’s plight, insiders say. But the reunion ended abruptly when Mario Ciccone – Tony’s son with his second wife – demanded that Anthony be tossed out for being drunk, a source told The ENQUIRER.
The source said: “Sadly, the relationships appear to be beyond repair. Madonna and Mario are done with Anthony forever. They don’t think he deserves any more chances.” That has deeply upset Madonna’s sister Paula, who helped Anthony escape from living under a bridge in Traverse City after a fellow vagrant was murdered over a bottle of booze, said the source. The ENQUIRER tracked down Anthony, and found him limping in the rain near the garage where he sleeps among moldy boxes.
He told The ENQUIRER: “The ironic thing is my family thinks I chose this lifestyle. It’s not the case. “I assume Madonna knows my situation through the family members who haven’t disowned me. The truth is (Madonna) doesn’t care if I’m dead. I doubt she’d even recognize me.” According to Anthony, his life recently has been a tale of woe: “I was assaulted, and I have frostbite on my toes. It feels like I’m walking on broken glass. “I got hit by a car in the summer. I fractured my leg and I’ve got a cast that’ll be there all winter. I broke four ribs last month and can barely breathe.” For the past three winters, Anthony has slept in local churches, where he’s also gotten hot meals.
He said: “My friends die of exposure here. There were 12 deaths this summer. It’s just a miracle that one wasn’t me.” The last time he saw his sister was a few years ago when she attended the grand opening of Traverse City’s State Theatre, but he didn’t try to talk to her. Anthony explained: “There was a huge crowd and I couldn’t get near to the front. I’m standing at the edge of the crowd and I see my sister arrive in a limousine with her entourage. That’s it.”
