Madonna 'on the road to recovery' after ICU hospitalization, gives tour update
Madonna is on the mend after a bacterial infection left her hospitalized in June. The singer took to Instagram to share plans to reschedule the North American leg on her upcoming tour, moving around 40 concerts.
"I'm on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all my blessings in life," she said in a statement shared to Instagram Monday.
"My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children," she continued. "My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour."
The Celebration tour, which was expected to touch on all segments of Madonna's 40-plus year career, was scheduled to begin in Vancouver July 15.
With her statement, Madonna shared that the North American leg of her tour will be rescheduled and that she plans to kick off the tour in October in Europe instead. No new dates were provided for the North American shows.
"My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I'll be back with you as soon as I can," she wrote.
Live Nation confirmed that Madonna had plans to reschedule the tour in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
The company encouraged fans to hold onto their tickets as they will remain valid for new dates which will be announced "as soon as possible."
Madonna postponed her upcoming Celebration tour initially as she was recuperating from a stay in a New York intensive care unit due to a “serious bacterial infection," late last month.
The superstar’s manager Guy Oseary posted a message on Instagram at the time that the singer was expected to make a full recovery.
Madonna: Hospitalized with 'serious bacterial infection,' forced to postpone her tour
“On Saturday, June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection, which led to a several-day stay in the ICU. Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected,” he wrote. “At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour.”
Madonna announced her tour at the beginning of the year, a 35-city run that included Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., followed by 11 European dates in the fall. After the initial on-sale, second shows were added in several markets to accommodate demand.
Madonna, who turns 65 Aug. 16, last toured in 2019-2020 on her Madame X run, playing small venues for the first time since The Virgin Tour in 1985. While those shows leaned heavily on her 2019 "Madame X" album, the Celebration tour was billed as a career retrospective sure to be filled with the numerous hits that have made her the most successful female artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Madonna tour: Singer gives update after bacterial infection, ICU stay
