Anthony Ciccone remembered as avid reader, deep thinker

Mar. 5—TRAVERSE CITY — If Anthony Ciccone's life were a book, it would have many chapters.

The pages no doubt would detail the family of the man who died at 66 on Feb. 24 in Suttons Bay, according to his obituary: A father and stepmother, Silvio and Joan, who founded a Leelanau County winery, and the siblings, including some who work there and one, Madonna, whose music reached global fame.

But those who knew Ciccone could write many more passages about his wandering lifestyle, sharp wit and love for music and literature. A few shared their memories online, telling of long conversations at gatherings in New York in the 1990s or, more recently, pleasant encounters at Traverse City fast food joints and other local spots.

Karen McCarthy knew Ciccone during one chapter of his life, when he lived at Dann's House in Traverse City.

It's a home for people without shelter and with chronic severe alcohol use disorder and is named for Karen's late brother, whom Ciccone knew from when both men were homeless, she said.

"Anthony told me one time he missed Dann sorely, and he took time to choose that word," she said. "Words were very important to Anthony ... he took time and he was searching and searching and he said, 'Sorely, I miss him sorely.' That was very moving to me to talk to somebody who knew my brother and loved him."

That love of words also showed through his sharp wit and penchant for wordplay, McCarthy said. He was also constantly reading, whether cheap mysteries, crime noir, pulpy adventure novels or classical philosophy.

McCarthy recalled how Ciccone loved intellectual conversation — a remembrance shared by others who knew him and posted online tributes. She agreed the debates could become intense but he never took it personally.

Ciccone lived at Dann's house for a few years starting in 2014, and was one of the first to stay there, McCarthy said. He made considerable improvements there and was able to rekindle his relationships with some of his family. That included his father, who she remembers visiting Anthony.

"I do know that he cared deeply about his family and it was very painful to him when they were estranged," she said.

Ciccone's obituary also noted the rift, saying he was isolated through much of his adulthood by addiction but nevertheless valued family and "enlivened by community and a sense of belonging."

Stability is one of the benefits of the "housing first" model Dann's House practices, McCarthy said: Those who stay there find it easier to cut down on their drinking. Seemingly trivial matters like keeping appointments and getting important mail are difficult to impossible for people without shelter.

Plus, the supportive services connects residents with healthcare, counseling and more.

McCarthy didn't remember exactly when Ciccone left, but he was facing medical issues not related to his alcohol use that required care beyond what Dann's House could provide, she said.

His family moved him to a care facility, and the two lost touch afterward.

According to his obituary, Ciccone set out as a teen and traveled from coast to coast, working several odd jobs including a few in the film industry. Along with his love of philosophy, Carl Jung's works, world history and religion, he was an avid cyclist as well.

In 2011 Ciccone told the now-defunct Michigan Messenger he was homeless and sleeping under a bridge in Traverse City. And in 2013 he struggled with Traverse City Police during an arrest, suffering a cut to his face.

Then in 2017, younger brother Christopher Ciccone told The Mirror that Anthony was "back home" and "recovering," without giving more detail.

Messages were left at the Ciccones' winery and the funeral home handling Anthony's arrangements.

Brother-in-law Joe Henry posted a tribute to Instagram the day after Ciccone died, noting he was a "complex character" and the two tangled at times, "as true brothers can."

"But I loved him, and understood him better than I was sometimes willing to let on," Henry, husband of sister Melanie Ciccone, wrote. "But trouble fades; and family remains — with hands reached across the table."

Madonna added her own remembrance to Instagram Monday, posting a picture of her seated at a table with a group including Anthony. She thanked her older brother for "blowing my mind as a young girl" by introducing her to Jack Kerouac, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Charles Bukowski, Richard Brautigan, Buddhism, Taoism and "Expansive Thinking."

"You planted many important seeds," she added.

Along with Anthony's father, stepmother and siblings Christopher, Madonna and Melanie, he is survived by a son, Angelo Lawson-Smith, and four other siblings, according to his obituary.