Madonna has been forced to postpone her massive tour later this year after she was “rushed to hospital and intubated after becoming unresponsive” on Saturday.
The singer’s terrifying health fears were confirmed by her manager Guy Oseary, who shared in an Instagram post that she had a “serious bacterial infection” that required a days-long stay in ICU.
The mother-of-six has now been forced to postpone her 84-date world tour, which was due to begin July 15 in Vancouver, Canada, due to her medical issues.
Madonna throws everything into her music and is known as a perfectionist when it comes to her performances, and this time was no different as she spared no expense on her 40th anniversary tour.
The Like A Prayer hitmaker began rehearsals for her massive tour in April and has been busy with a demanding six-day work week preparing for the shows, those close to the star have revealed.
Health scare: Madonna has been forced to postpone her massive tour later this year after she was ‘rushed to hospital and intubated after becoming unresponsive’ on Saturday
Just three years ago, she had to cancel a series of shows after she fell badly on stage and had to undergo surgery for a knee injury.
The dedicated performer is also known for her “punishing” fitness regimen, working out six times a week with a personal trainer amid her demanding on-stage schedule to maintain her “dancer’s body.”
Ahead of 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-date epic.
She was due to perform in North America, Europe and the United Kingdom for her highly anticipated 40th anniversary tour in a packed schedule en route.
While Madonna toured around 40 shows at the beginning of her career, she has ramped up her commitments in recent years, performing over 80 shows during her tours.
During her most recent Madame X tour, Madonna performed on a whopping 75 dates from September 2019 to March 2020.
Prior to that, in 2015, Madonna scored a whopping 82 dates on her Rebel Heart Tour, while she peaked at 88 shows on her The MDNA Tour in 2012.
Jose Extravaganza, a dancer who used to work with Madonna, gave insight into her huge plans for her 2023-4 tour, sharing how the star had been practicing “a lot” and rehearsing six days a week in preparation.
Fitness: Madonna is also known for her “punishing” fitness regimen, working out six times a week with a personal trainer to maintain her “dancer’s body”
He told Dailymail.com, “I think she’s working out a lot. I mean, the rehearsals. Rehearsals are six days a week from what I hear, you know, like the only day off is Sunday.
“I think she’s leaving in another two weeks. So I know right now it’s, you know, high energy, you know, with the rehearsals and the costumes and making sure everything works.
“You know, stage wise, I’m sure it’s going to be a great set, you know, and I’m looking forward to it. Certainly. I think it will be fine.’
He also revealed how Madonna planned to incorporate her love of boxing and fitness into her concerts by bringing martial arts into her upcoming shows, showing the importance of fitness in the star’s life.
He continued, “There is a lot of dancing. I mean, I think that dance troupe is big. When we went on tour, there were seven of us. I think there are at least somewhere between 15 and 20 now.
“They are trained in different areas of dance and different types of artistic expression that will be showcased in the show. I believe there will be many martial arts, such as boxing. She really likes boxing and things like that.
“So I think she’s going to revisit a lot of those things that she’s shown in the past. It is certainly not to be missed. It’s going to be everything Madonna is. You know, all those things that make her Madonna.’
Madonna, who is notorious for her perfectionism, spared no expense for her Celebration Tour because she knew it could be her last major tour, an insider previously claimed.
Demanding: Known as a perfectionist, Madonna has been forced to postpone her world tour for 84 days and has spared no expense in planning the epic
Safety first! Madonna began rehearsals for her upcoming scheduled tour in April and was seen wearing protective knee pads while practicing three years after her knee surgery.
“It may be her last tour, so she wants to make it perfect,” an insider claimed earlier this year.
“This is her labor of love,” they added. “Her perfectionism scares everyone, but she doesn’t care. The crew is working their ass off because everyone wants to make her happy.’
As for the show’s visual aesthetic, the insider told DailyMail.com that she had chosen to work with a clean slate and had big plans for the shows.
“She wanted younger dancers and this time she’s putting in a new crew,” they explained. ‘Madonna likes creative people who can take control. She’s not usually one to take suggestions and know what she wants.’
Madonna began rehearsals for her upcoming scheduled tour in April and was spotted wearing protective knee pads while practicing, three years after undergoing knee surgery.
The star was previously forced to cancel 14 shows of her previous 75-date The Madame X Tour in 2019-2020 after injuring herself on stage.
On February 27, 2020, Madonna hurt her coccyx “when a chair was literally pulled out from under” her on stage Le Grand Rex in Paris and she called 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 the tears never fell from our eyes,” the twice-divorced mother of six lamented on Instagram at the time.
“Unfortunately, though, and thank God for this important reminder that we’re human.”
Ouch! The star was previously forced to cancel 14 shows of her previous 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 in 2021)
As the Covid pandemic put the final nail in her tour’s coffin, Madonna decided to have knee surgery in April 2020, followed by hip surgery in November 2020, as well as “regenerative treatment for missing cartilage.”
In addition to her perfectionism in her music career, Madonna is known for her very ‘punishing’ workout regimen to maintain her ripped physique.
In 2016, personal trainer Craig Smith opened up about Madonna’s fitness regimen and shared what it was like working with her.
Craig shared how, behind the scenes, the Queen of Pop is a woman of discipline, focus and unwavering work ethic.
Despite any travel commitments and a demanding schedule on stage, Madonna always makes time to train for at least 30 minutes six days a week.
“She does a combination of circuit training, interval training, and resistance training. Dance is obviously a big part of that,” said Craig.
The trainer said he would vary the workouts with bar training, yoga, martial arts and boxing to cover everything from core strength to flexibility.
He said Madonna would lift light weights, between just 2.2 and 1.1 kilograms (five and 2.5 lbs), with 20 to 30 reps of each exercise to maintain her “dancer’s physique.”
A typical daily workout includes a warm-up, often based on dance conditioning, which increases body temperature and heart rate.
The warm-up is followed by upper body work such as push-ups in 20 reps, planking for up to 80 seconds, and core work.
Exercise: Besides her perfectionism in her music career, Madonna is known for her very ‘punishing’ exercise regimen to maintain her ripped physique
To finish, Madonna will focus on the lower body, thighs and legs, some isolated core training, stretching and meditation, Craig claimed.
Madonna is also a fan of metabolic interval training, an exercise method that helps with fat and weight loss.
He also gave insight into her diet, sharing how Madonna would eat six meals a day, three main dishes, 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 such as quinoa.