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

The 81 year old - who was married to the singer's Silvio Ciccone - passed away "peacefully" on Tuesday (24.09.24) after a brief bout of ill health and a memorial posted online revealed her family's sadness over the loss.

It read: "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."

Joan married Silvio in 1966 following the death of his first wife - Madonna's mother who shared the same name as the singer - and took on his six kids. They had three children of their own including a son who died shortly after birth.

The obituary added: "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."

Joan will be remembered at a funeral in Lake Leelanau, Michigan on October 4. She is survived by her husband as well as their children and grandchildren.

Madonna's mother died in 1963 after a battle with breast cancer when the pop star was five years old and she later admitted she had a difficult relationship with her stepmum Joan.

During an appearance on Larry King's talk show in 2002, Madonna explained she struggled to accept change after her mother passed away. She said: "I had moments of chaos and sometimes I suffered.

"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.

"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."