Madonna says she was in an ‘induced coma for 48 hours’ during latest health scare

Madonna has opened up about the details of her latest health scare, revealing that she was put “in an induced coma for 48 hours”.

In June, the “Like a Virgin” singer, 65, was due to embark on her Celebration Tour in Canada when she developed a “serious bacterial infection”, prompting her to pause all commitments. She was admitted to hospital, where she stayed several days in the intensive care unit (ICU).

She later resumed her global tour in October in Europe. During her most recent stop in Brooklyn, New York on 16 December, Madonna took a moment to thank “some very important people” who were by her side in the hospital.

“I passed out on my bathroom floor; I woke up in the ICU – thank you, Siobahn, she saved my life,” the Queen of Pop can be heard telling the crowd in a video posted on X. She explained that she was put into “an induced coma for 48 hours”, adding that the only voice she heard was that of her Kabbalah teacher.

“I heard him say, ‘Squeeze my hand’, that’s it,” Madonna said before joking that she “had to almost die to get all my kids in one room”.

The pop star has six children – Lourdes Leon, 26, Rocco Ritchie, 22, 17-year-old David Banda, whom she adopted in 2006, 17-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James, whom she adopted in 2009, and 10-year-old twins Stella and Estere, whom she adopted in 2017.

In previous updates, the “Material Girl” artist recalled her first hospital thoughts being about her children and not wanting to “disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour”.

“I also didn’t want to let down the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone,” she said on Instagram in July.

At the time, she announced that “the current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe”.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

The Celebration Tour, which has been billed as a “one-of-a-kind experience”, features music from Madonna’s catalogue across four decades. She wrapped the UK and European leg of her tour in London on 6 December, before making her way across the pond to her three-day stop in Brooklyn, beginning on 13 December.

She will continue making stops in major US cities throughout the new year before her final date on 26 April 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.