Madonna paid for brother to enter rehab

Madonna tried to help her unfortunate elder brother before he became homeless by checking him into a rehab clinic in Texas.

The singer's brother Anthony Ciccone hit headlines this month (Oct11) when it was revealed he has been living on the streets of Traverse City, Michigan since losing his job at the family's vineyard.

Ciccone told reporters his "family turned their back on me", but insisted he didn't want help because of his showbusiness connections.

In a new interview with Britain's Daily Mail, it is revealed Madonna tried to help her brother six years ago by paying for him to undergo a two-month stay in a rehab clinic in Texas to battle his drinking problem, but the treatment didn't work.

Ciccone is adamant he didn't need rehab and is convinced his family should have done more to help him.

He tells the publication, "I'm a zero in their eyes; a non-person, an embarrassment. If I froze to death, my family probably wouldn't know or care about it for six months.... My family seem to think rehab is some kind of magic panacea for life's ills..."

However, Ciccone, 55, insists he doesn't resent his famous sister's success, but he does wish she would get in touch.

He adds, "I'm proud of my sister - but it's been a burden, because I can't be me; I have to be related to a celebrity. People have their ideas and expectations. My sister's a multi-millionaire - but she earned it, I have to give her credit for that. But you'd think there'd be some more family loyalty, and that's not the case... Just to communicate would be nice... There isn't much else that exists outside of what she's doing."