Madonna is speaking out for the first time since she was hospitalized for a bacterial infection.
“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement,” the pop star, 64, began in an Instagram post on Monday, July 10. “I have felt your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life.”
Madonna went on to say that the first thing she thought about after waking up in the hospital was her children. She shares daughter Lourdes Leon, 26, with ex Carlos Leon and son Rocco, 22, with ex-husband Guy Ritchie. Madonna is also the mother of adopted son David Banda and daughter Mercy James, both 17, and twins Stella and Estere, 10.
Elsewhere in her statement, Madonna confirmed that her upcoming Celebration tour — which was scheduled to begin in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday, July 15 — will now be postponed.
“I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour,” she wrote. “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. My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can!”
Madonna noted that “the current plan” is to reschedule her North American dates and kick off the tour in October with a four-night residency in London.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for your care and support,” she concluded. “Love, M.”
Us Weekly confirmed on June 28 that Madonna had been hospitalized several days earlier. “On Saturday, June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU,” the singer’s longtime manager, Guy Oseary, wrote via Instagram at the time. He added that Madonna’s “health is improving, however, she is still under medical care,” noting that “a full recovery is expected.”
Oseary, 50, also told followers that Madonna would need to “pause all commitments” for the moment, including her tour.
Earlier this month, an insider exclusively told Us that Madonna was taking it easy after her health scare. “Although Madonna is looking forward to getting back to work as soon as possible, she’s also taking her recovery seriously and isn’t going to rush anything because she is focused on her health above all else,” the source explained. “She has an incredible support system around her and appreciates all the love she’s received. It’s a work in progress, but she’s feeling confident and better every day.”
