Madonna's History Of Health Issues, Explained

Madonna's unwavering dedication to her career is even more impressive considering that she has had several health issues that would have forced many people to throw in the towel. In June 2023, the pop icon's manager announced that she had to postpone her Celebrations tour, which was scheduled to start the following month, because the Grammy winner had developed a "serious bacterial infection" that landed her in the Intensive Care Unit. Despite the gravity of the situation, the "Hung Up" songstress was back on the road by October. While performing in New York in December of that year, Madonna shared that her health scare began when her friend, Shavawn, found her unconscious in her bathroom. 

Shavawn rushed her to a hospital, where she was placed in a medically-induced coma for about two days. Speaking on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, in September 2025, the legendary singer confirmed that she spent a total of four days out of consciousness at the hospital. Unfortunately, the terrifying ordeal didn't end there, as Madonnna developed a life-threatening condition called sepsis shortly after she was taken off the ventilator. 

The celebrated artist admitted that although she was eager to get back to rehearsals, her body was exhausted after the fight. As such, even basic movements became grueling tasks. Reflecting on those uncertain times during a 2024 show, Madonna confessed, "I didn't know when I could get up again and when I could be myself again," (via The Standard). "It was a strange thing to finally not feel like I was in control. That was my lesson to let go."

Sadly, Madonna's ICU stay wasn't her first serious health scare — not by a long shot. In 2005, the living legend suffered significant injuries after falling off a horse, fracturing her hand, collarbones, and ribs. Madonna had another horse-related injury in 2009, when paparazzi, who were camping out on the property at the time, frightened her during a ride, and she fell off. In the past, the "Like A Virgin" hitmaker has continued to put on a show while being in tremendous physical pain. Speaking on the 2021 TV special "Madame X Presents: Madame Xtra Q&A," she revealed, "During my [2019 Madame X] tour — I don't know if you've noticed it, but I'm limping a lot — I was in more pain that I've ever been in in my life. I'm a bionic woman — I had hip replacement surgery," (via Extra TV). 

Sadly, there have also been several instances where Madonna couldn't make it to the stage due to physical pain. After cancelling two shows during the Madame X tour in 2020, the singer disclosed that she had to undergo three hours of rehab before and after every show just to manage the pain from her injuries and to power on through the rest of the tour. Only a few months after the stint concluded, Madonna took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce that she was finally undergoing surgery to address a "missing cartilage" that had been giving her grief for nearly eight months. At the end of the day, there's no doubt that these recurring health issues have become a tragic detail of Madonna's life.