Madonna was forced to postpone her mammoth tour later this year after she was “taken to the hospital and intubated after it was determined she was unresponsive” on Saturday.
The singer’s dire health crisis was confirmed by her manager Guy Oseary, who revealed in an Instagram post that she had a “severe bacterial infection” that required her to stay in intensive care for days.
The mother-of-six has now been forced to postpone her 84-date world tour, due to begin July 15 in Vancouver, Canada, due to her medical conditions.
Madonna gives her best in her music and is known for being a perfectionist in her performances and this time was no different as she spared no expense or effort on her 40th anniversary tour.
The Like A Prayer hitmaker began rehearsals for her mammoth tour back in April and has spent a busy six-day workweek preparing for the shows, according to those close to the star.
Health scare: Madonna was forced to postpone her mammoth tour later this year after she was “taken to the hospital and intubated after it was determined she was unresponsive” on Saturday.
Just three years ago she had to cancel a number of performances after falling badly on stage and having to undergo surgery for a knee injury.
The dedicated performer is also known for her “punitive” fitness regimen, which sees her working out with a personal trainer six days a week to maintain her “dancer’s body” alongside her demanding stage schedule.
For her planned 12th concert tour later this year, which has now been postponed, Madonna was set to fly around the world in a jam-packed 84-performance epic.
Slated to perform in North America, Europe and the UK as part of her much-anticipated 40th anniversary tour, she had a busy travel schedule.
While Madonna played tours of around 40 shows early in her career, she has expanded her involvement in recent years and has played more than 80 shows on her tours.
On her most recent Madame X tour, Madonna performed an impressive 75 dates from September 2019 to March 2020.
Before that, in 2015, Madonna managed a whopping 82 performances on her Rebel Heart Tour, while peaking at 88 performances on her 2012 MDNA Tour.
Jose Extravaganza, a dancer who used to work with Madonna, gave a glimpse of her big plans for her 2023-2004 tour, saying the star trained “a lot” and rehearsed six days a week in preparation.
Fitness: Madonna is also known for her “punitive” fitness routine, where she works out with a personal trainer six times a week to maintain her “dancer’s body.”
He told : “I think she trains a lot.” I mean, the rehearsals. From what I’ve heard, rehearsals are six days a week, as if the only day off was Sunday.
“I think she’s going in about two more weeks.” So I know it’s very energetic at the moment with the rehearsals and the costumes and making sure everything works.
“You know, stage wise, I’m sure it’s going to be a beautiful set, you know, and I’m looking forward to it.” Definitely. I think it will be good.’
He also revealed how Madonna had planned to infuse her love of boxing and fitness into her concerts, bringing martial arts into her upcoming shows to show how important fitness is in the star’s life.
He continued, “There’s a lot like dancing.” I mean, I think the dance group is big. When we went on tour there were only seven of us. I think there are at least 15 to 20 of them now.
“They will be trained in different areas of dance to show different artistic expressions in the show.” I believe there will be many martial arts like boxing. She loves boxing and things like that.
“So I think she’s going to revisit a lot of things that she’s shown in the past.” It will be everything Madonna is. You know, all those things that make her a Madonna.’
Madonna, who is notorious for her perfectionism, spared no expense on her Celebration tour, knowing it could be her last major tour, an insider previously claimed.
Demanding: Madonna, known for being a perfectionist, had to postpone her 84-date world tour and spared no expense in planning the epic
Safety first! Madonna began rehearsals for her upcoming scheduled tour in April and was spotted practicing with protective knee pads three years after her knee surgery
“It could be her last tour so she wants to make it perfect,” an insider claimed earlier this year.
“It’s their labor of love,” they added. “Her perfectionism drives everyone crazy, but she doesn’t care.” The crew works hard because everyone wants to make them happy.’
As for the show’s visual aesthetic, the insider told that she’s decided to start from scratch and has big plans for the shows.
“She wanted younger dancers and is using a new crew this time,” they explained. “Madonna likes creative people who can provide direction. She doesn’t usually take suggestions and knows what she wants.”
Madonna began rehearsals for her planned tour in April and was seen practicing wearing protective knee pads, three years after knee surgery.
The star previously had to cancel 14 shows of her 75-date The Madame X Tour in 2019-2020 after injuring herself on stage.
February 27, 2020 – Madonna injured her tailbone on stage at her Le Grand Rex in Paris “when a chair was literally pulled out from under her” and dubbed herself “a broken doll held together with tape and glue.”
“If only the knees didn’t twist and the cartilage didn’t tear and nothing hurt and we never shed tears from our eyes,” the twice-divorced mother of six complained on Instagram at the time.
“But unfortunately they do and thank God for this important reminder that we are human.”
Ouch! The star previously had to cancel 14 shows of her 75-date The Madame X Tour in 2019-2020 after injuring herself on stage
Surgery: Madonna underwent knee surgery in April 2020, followed by hip surgery in November 2020, as well as “regenerative treatment for my missing cartilage” (pictured 2021)
As the Covid pandemic put the final nail in her tour’s coffin, Madonna decided to undergo knee surgery in April 2020, followed by hip surgery in November 2020, as well as “regenerative treatment for missing cartilage.”
Not only is Madonna known for her perfectionism in her music career, but also for her very “punitive” exercise regimen to keep her toned physique.
In 2016, personal trainer Craig Smith spoke about Madonna’s fitness plan and what it was like working with her.
Craig shared that behind the scenes, the Queen of Pop is a woman of discipline, focus and an unwavering work ethic.
Despite travel commitments and a demanding stage schedule, Madonna always makes time to work out at least 30 minutes six days a week.
“She does a combination of circuit training, interval training and strength training. “Dance obviously plays a big part in that,” Craig said.
The trainer said he would vary the workout to include bar training, yoga, martial arts and boxing to cover everything from core strength to flexibility.
He said Madonna would lift light weights between 2.2 and 1.1 kilograms (five and 2.5 pounds) and repeat each exercise 20 to 30 times to maintain her “dancer-like body.”
A typical daily workout includes a warm-up, often based on dance conditioning, that increases body temperature and heart rate.
The warm-up is followed by upper body work such as push-ups for 20 reps, planks for up to 80 seconds, and core work.
Sport: Madonna is not only known for her perfectionism in her music career, but also for her very “punitive” exercise regimen to keep her toned physique
To finish off, Madonna will focus on the lower body, hamstrings and legs, as well as isolated core work, stretching and meditation, Craig said.
Madonna is also a fan of metabolic interval training, a training method that helps with fat and weight loss.
He also gave insight into her diet, sharing how Madonna ate six meals a day, three main courses and three lighter snacks, every two to four hours.
Her diet consists of cold-pressed juices—her favorite is organic watermelon—organic protein bars, fruits, vegetables, and grains like quinoa.
The ‘life-threatening’ condition that derailed Madonna’s tour: what are bacterial infections and what causes them?
It’s not known exactly what type of infection Madonna has, but bacterial infections can affect many different parts of the body, including the skin, lungs, brain, and blood, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“The most common bacterial diseases include urinary tract infections, food poisoning, sexually transmitted diseases and some skin, sinus and ear infections,” explains the medical association, pointing out that the most common form of treatment is a course of antibiotics.
“There are many bacterial infections that are not usually serious or are easily treated with antibiotics,” it says. “However, any bacterial infection that penetrates deep into your body, such as your blood, heart, lungs or brain, can be life-threatening.”