Paula Ciccone – What happened to Madonna’s Sister?

Who is Paula Ciccone?

Paula Ciccone is an American model and actress. She is also popular as the younger sister of the “Queen of Pop”, Madonna Ciccone. Paula Ciccone’s famous sister, a cultural figure is widely known for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes. The legendary singer has become so big a star most people forget she is just like everybody else with family, parents, and siblings.

Paula Ciccone: Bio Summary

How old is Madonna’s Sister?

Paula Ciccone was born on 22 August 1959 in Bay City, Michigan, United States of America. Madonna’s Sister Paula is 65 years old as of 2024. She was the fourth child of Madonna Louise (née Fortin) and Silvio Anthony “Tony” Ciccone. Her paternal grandparents were Italian emigrants from Pacentro while her mother was of French-Canadian descent. Paula’s father worked as an engineer designer for Chrysler and General Motors on military projects.

Paula was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills) alongside her siblings brothers, Anthony and Martin Ciccone, Madonna Ciccone, Christopher Ciccone, and Melanie Ciccone.

When the siblings were still young, their mother passed away from breast cancer. Tony, their father was left with six kids with the youngest, Melanie barely a year old (in 1963). Tony went on to marry the family’s housekeeper Joan Gustafson and had two children together: Jennifer and Mario.

The Ciccone siblings who were raised in a strict Catholic home resented and rebelled against their new mother. Madonna in particular resented her father for getting remarried and began rebelling against him which affected the relationship she had with the father.

“I’m sure that it has influenced every decision that I’ve made and sort of left me with a feeling of hunger and longing; a feeling of emptiness and growing up afraid to love things because they’re going to leave you,” Paula Ciccone’s sister told Primetime.

Madonna also once told Rolling Stone– “If my mother didn’t die, and I grew up with a feeling of wholeness and completeness and family, I probably would have stayed in Michigan and become a schoolteacher,”

Paula Ciccone tried their hand in the entertainment industry

Paula Ciccone is Madonna’s little sister with whom she started the pop with her journey to fame when they were kids. At a very young age, the girls had their eyes on the prize, which was gaining a spot in the limelight to showcase their talent. The sisters shared a childhood bedroom.

While Madonna took the path of music and showbiz and was able to gain a spot in the limelight, Paula on the other hand decided to take the modeling and painting path but unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned for her. To start her modeling journey, Paula moved to New York City where she was a roommate with actress and producer, Jorja Fox.

When Paula Ciccone was granted an interview some years back, people speculated from the interview that she was jealous of her older sister’s success. However, there is so much more about Paula that remains hidden and most people don’t bother to find out. Apart from modeling, Paula was also a painter and graphic artist.

According to IMDB, Paula Ciccone is known for her work on I Love Trouble (1994), Mutual Needs (1997), and The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986). During her days as a model, she made appearances in Rollingstone Magazine and has been involved in some top advertisement campaigns.

ALSO, READ; Madonna Louise Fortin: What Happened To Madonna’s Mother?

ALSO, READ; Silvio Ciccone: Is The Father Of Madonna Still Alive?

Paula Ciccone and her siblings

As said earlier, Paula Ciccone was brought up in a pretty much large family as we said earlier, she had five biological siblings including Madonna and two paternal half-siblings. Her Big brother, Anthony Ciccone Jr. was born in 1956.

Anthony later fell out with the family and became homeless for some number of years before things were fixed up and he came accepted back. Unfortunately, Anthony Ciccone died from respiratory failure and throat cancer at the age of 66 on Feb. 24, 2023.

Paula’s second sibling, Martin Ciccone was born in 1957. Martin had also battled alcohol abuse like his older brother and due to that he also spent some time behind bars like the big brother.

ALSO, READ; Martin Ciccone: Everything To Know About Madonna’s Brother

Paula’s third sibling is the Queen of Pop, Madonna who was born a year before her, and then there is a younger brother Christopher Ciccone who was born a year after her. Chris is a dancer, interior decorator, and designer. The youngest member of the family from her mother is Melanie Ciccone who was born in 1962. Since 1987, Melanie has been married to songwriter Joe Henry.

Her father, Tony’s marriage to Joan Gustafson, she has two half-siblings, Jennifer Ciccone who was born in 1968, and Mario Ciccone, born in 1969. All though the family went through some tough times they were able to work it out and still stayed together as a unit.

ALSO, READ; Madonna Siblings: Who Are Her Siblings?

Where is Madonna’s sister, Paula Ciccone now?

The Ciccone family owns a winery known as the Ciccone Vineyard and Winery which is owned by Silvio Tony and Joan. The winery is said to be one of the 10 vintners in Leelanau Peninsula. It is managed by the youngest child of the family, Mario and that is where Paula currently works.

According to Dailymail, she is the head winemaker at the family’s vineyard. The Vineyard was established by their father Silvio ‘Tony’ Ciccone and his second wife in 1995. Per reports, it is set across 13 acres and has grown from a family-owned concern into a thriving business, and winning awards. The Veniyard also operates a popular tasting room. In 2004, when the family business was ailing, Madonna stepped in with around £754,000. It’s unclear if Paula Ciccone has a partner