Why was Madonna hospitalized? Health condition explored amid concern over being found unresponsive

Pop singer and icon Madonna was hospitalized on Saturday, June 24, 2023, after she was found unresponsive during rehearsals for her upcoming tour. It was later reported that she spent a few nights at a New York City-based hospital in an ICU and was intubated for several hours. Her manager, Gary Oseary took to Instagram to share that the singer had developed a severe bacterial infection and had to spend a few days in the ICU.

He also added that Madonna is expected to make a full recovery and while she is still under medical care, her health is improving. Following her sudden hospitalization, Madonna has reportedly postponed her upcoming world tour until further notice. Her daughter Lourdes Leon was by her side when she was undergoing treatment.

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Madonna has currently paused all commitments

As of Wednesday, June 28, 2023, the 64-year-old pop star was both awake and recovering with the tube removed, as per the BBC. She was also out of the ICU, but her manager said that all of her commitments, including the upcoming world tour will have to be paused. Reports suggest that the singer was in New York City doing full-on rehearsals when she became unresponsive.

Madonna was expected to launch her 84-day world tour next month which she announced in January 2023. The tour was supposed to pay respect to the city of New York, "where her music career began," her manager told the BBC.

“I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” she had written on several social media platforms.

Dubbed the “Celebration Tour,” it was supposed to begin in Vancouver, Canada on July 12 and wrap up in Mexico City in January 2024. The tour was scheduled to cover a total of 43 cities across Europe and North America. It was meant to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her breakout single Holiday and would have been the first-ever “greatest hits tour.”

The Celebration Tour would have also marked her return to big arenas after her phase of experimental theater-based Madame X shows in 2019 and 2020. Back then too, a few of her performances were postponed last minute after she accidentally suffered knee and hip injuries.

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Madonna’s legacy over the years

Deemed the “Queen of Pop,” Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958. As a 20-year-old, she shifted to New York City where she began her music career as a guitarist, drummer, and side vocalist for rock bands Emmy and Breakfast Club. She rose to fame after her solo album Madonna was released in 1983 and became an overnight hit.

Since then, the singer has never looked back as all her back-to-back albums were bestsellers. These include Like A Virgin (1984), The Groove (1985), True Blue (1986), A Prayer (1989), Vogue (1990), The Immaculate Collection (1990), and Hung Up (2005) among others. She has received seven Grammy Awards to date besides other notable accolades.

In 2009, The Guinness World Records acknowledged her as the bestselling female music artist of all time after her record-breaking attendance on the Sticky & Sweet Tour. Forbes Magazine lists her among the top 50 richest self-made women in the world with an estimated net worth of $800 million.

The Queen of Pop has always been intensely private about her health. She has six children, two of whom graduated from elementary school last week. These were her 10-year-old daughters whose success Madonna celebrated on an Instagram story.

So far, it hasn’t been an easy year for her as she lost her elder brother Anthony to cancer in February. A few months later, she is now in the hospital but she is recovering. Apart from this, she was also severely criticized for her look at this year’s Grammys.