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When the Queen of Pop celebrates a birthday, you can bet there'll be cake, confetti, and a whole lot of heart, even when the guest of honor is her dad, turning 94. On June 3, Madonna paid tribute to her father, Silvio Ciccone, in a series of emotional and adorable posts that prove even pop royalty is still a daddy's girl at heart.
The "Material Girl" singer, now 66, shared two snaps of her father to X (formerly Twitter) alongside a moving birthday message. "Happy Birthday to my Father. Silvio Ciccone, 94 and going strong!!" she wrote, letting the world know that her dad is thriving.
© Kevin Mazur/MG18In the first photo, Madonna is seen standing beside her father as he dips a fork into a slice of cake, surrounded by balloons and a giant silver "94." It's giving party vibes and peaceful reflections. Madonna dug deeper, celebrating her father's resilience.
"He has survived many wars and many losses in his life... and he still has a sense of humor and a strong desire to get out of bed every morning and make the most of his day," she wrote.
The second photo Madonna shared shows Silvio looking effortlessly cool in jeans, a tee, and a cap, soaking up some sunshine on the patio.
The Mantra That Keeps on Giving
Apparently, Silvio has a motto for longevity that could give any biohacker a run for their money. "Whenever people ask my father when he's going to retire, his answer is always the same, 'I'm going to go until the wheels fall off!!'" Madonna wrote. “S.A.M.E.”
The elder Ciccone is still running his Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, proving that you can trade your 9-to-5 for grapes and still out-hustle everyone.
In a moment of candor, Madonna took aim at society's obsession with youth. "It's a shame we do not live in a world that celebrates knowledge and experience and the wisdom that we can only learn from our elders... We are fixated on youth and physical beauty that ironically teaches us nothing and gives us only momentary gratification."
She ended her tribute with a nod to her late mother, Madonna Louise Ciccone, who died of breast cancer in 1963 when Madonna was just 5. "Good job, Dad!! I'm proud of you and I know Mom is smiling and Happy wherever she is. Thank you for giving me your zero F---- mentality!"
© MadonnaA Father-Daughter Bond That's Been Through It All
Born to Silvio and Madonna Louise in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna was one of six siblings in a deeply Catholic Italian-American family. After her mother passed away, Silvio later remarried and had two more children, bringing the total sibling count to eight.
And though Madonna became an icon, her desire to impress her father never faded. "More than anything, I want my father's approval," she told Rolling Stone in 1989. "But he's always been very affectionate with me." She echoed that love during his 93rd birthday, writing: "Congratulations for riding the roller coaster of life with humor and sanity intact. Thank you for sharing your mantra in life with me."
© @madonnaIt's clear Madonna's zero-apologies energy didn't come out of nowhere. She's been carrying her dad's "wheels-fall-off" DNA for decades. As Silvio clocks in at 94 with cake, good humor, and a very proud daughter by his side, Madonna's message is that age isn't the enemy. It's the flex.
So here's to Silvio Ciccone, the original icon behind the icon. May the wheels stay on for many more birthdays.
