Due to a recent health scare, Madonna‘s historic Celebration tour has officially been postponed—however, one music industry insider is calling the illness a “ruse,” and blaming the delay (which they referred to as a cancellation) on “dismal” tour sales.
A few weeks ago, the “Material Girl” singer’s manager, Guy Oseary, wrote on Instagram that Madonna had been admitted to her local hospital’s intensive care unit due to the infection, following extensive rehearsals for the Celebration concert tour, which was due to kick off July 15th in Vancouver. The singer herself shared a message to Instagram on July 10th expressing her regret that she would have to postpone the North American leg of the tour to focus on her health, with the tour’s beginning now scheduled for October in Europe.
READ MORE: Madonna Gives Important Tour Update After ICU Stay: ‘I Hate To Disappoint’
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Madonna Admitted To Intensive Care In Late June Following ‘Bacterial Infection’
Following in the footsteps of recent mega-tours like Taylor Swift’s Eras concerts and Beyoncé’s Renaissance performances, Madonna‘s Celebration tour was meant to, well, celebrate her illustrious 40-plus-years in the entertainment industry, with more than 80 performances scheduled for all around the world, including huge dates in New York, London, Barcelona and more—and, perhaps, the pressure on the 64-year-old icon to perform may have pushed her to not seek medical help when symptoms began to emerge prior to being found unresponsive at her home on June 24th.
TMZ recently reported Madonna was battling a fever for longer than the month leading up to her hospitalization, but did not pursue treatment due to her concern that doing so would jeopardize the tour, which was to begin in less than a month. However, that delay apparently allowed whatever infection she had to spread, resulting in her admission to the hospital.
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Industry 'Insider' Accuses Madonna Of Faking Illness To Get Out Of Touring Commitments
According to one insider, though, that's not the full story. A source told In Touch Weekly this week that the ICU visit was not the result of infection, but rather, disappointment. "Her sickness is a ruse, and the real reason she canceled the tour is because her tour sales were dismal," the supposed insider told the magazine. This may not actually be the case, though—Billboard reported in January after the Celebration tour was announced that 35 of the 51 shows initially scheduled sold out in just hours, with 600,000 tickets sold on the first day alone. The "Like a Virgin" singer even added a 4th New York date after the first 3 sold out in a mere 15 minutes; 2 London shows were added to the schedule when the initial 2 sold out in just 20.
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Madonna herself seems optimistic and excited for the tour: "Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and word of healing and encouragement," she wrote in her first post to Instagram after her health scare. "I have felt all your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life. The first thought when I woke up from the hospital was my children. My second thought was that I did not want to disappoint anyone who bought tickets for my tour. I also didn’t want to let down people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone."
The pop music icon added, "My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I'll be back with you as soon as I can! The current plan is to reschedule the North American leg of the tour and to begin in October in Europe." She signed off with a message of gratitude for all of her well-wishing fans: "I couldn't be more grateful for your care and support. Love, M."
