Is Madonna too old to tour? Singer under pressure to compete with younger stars due to 'constant remarks about her age'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The Pop Queen, Madonna, is still as enthusiastic as ever to perform on stage at the age of 64. The singer has been working really hard to get ready for her 84-date 'Celebration' tour. The 'La Isla Bonita' singer apparently overexerted herself as a result, as she recently underwent treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). Since the health event, many of Madonna's close friends have expressed their concerns about her health.
Insiders now claim that Madonna tried to push herself "beyond the limit" as she prepared for her now-postponed Celebration Tour before she fell ill. The pop icon was released from intensive care at a New York hospital on June 29, four days after she had collapsed with a bacterial infection, and is now recovering at her own residence in the city.
Competing with much younger stars
There is no denying that music tours put a lot of physical pressure on the body and are incredibly taxing. According to insiders, Madonna is attempting to compete with younger stars but is unaware of her advanced age. Two female musicians who are currently on global tours are the much younger Beyonce, 41, and Taylor Swift, 33. At 64 years, Madonna is virtually competing with music stars almost half her age.
A source claimed, "Many of us feel the constant remarks about her age have put pressure on her to compete, so we are relieved that she has been forced to take time out and put her health first. People were really worried about her."
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'Concerns about another Michael Jackson situation'
Some even speculated that she would share the same fate as the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
But regrettably, she may have overworked her body and just experienced a health problem. The 'Material Girl' hitmaker spent days in the intensive care unit (ICU) after being discovered unresponsive just hours after rehearsing at the studio with fellow pop star Katy Perry.
Since then, several of Madonna's friends and family members have spoken out about their concerns for the seasoned singer. Many people can't seem to get rid of the notion that the 'Vogue' singer would suffer the same fate as the late Michael Jackson, who died only days before his 'This is It' tour back in 2009. One source told The Sun, "Nobody would say it out loud but there were concerns about another Michael Jackson situation if she doesn’t slow down a bit."
The source further added: "She is home, happy and taking meetings, and she has rejected a proposal to scale back on the tour as she still wants to deliver as many dates as possible when she’s regained her strength. Everyone saw something like this coming because of her intense schedule but only a few were brave enough to tell her that they were concerned."
Michael Jackson was getting prepared for a highly anticipated tour of comeback concerts called 'This Is It' when he died unexpectedly. These performances were planned to begin in London in July 2009. According to CNN, the King of Pop was overworked and didn't get enough sleep for 60 days before his death. He was getting ready to do a one-of-a-kind concert that would break a world record at the time.
She 'ignored some symptoms of illness'
Madonna may have ended up in the ICU recently due to focusing too much on her rehearsals. The musician reportedly suffered a bacterial infection that was thought to be caused by an "unreported month-long fever," per sources. She apparently kept it secret to try to maintain her tour practice. This led to a crisis as her health deteriorated.
One music source told People, "She ignored some symptoms of illness for quite a while because she thought they would go away. But she didn’t want to take time away from rehearsals. She was rundown and not feeling 100 percent for a while in anticipation of her tour. She is relentless in her quest to be the best, to wow her fans and to do what others before her have not done." A second music source claimed, "Madonna has been very busy for a long time and not taking care of herself. She just continues to push herself beyond the limit."
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Guy Oseary, the manager of the Queen of Pop, announced last week on Instagram that "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. At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour. We will share more details with you soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows."