Madonna breaks silence on ‘brush with death’

Madonna says she’s on the ‘road to recovery’ and reveals her first thought after waking up from a medical emergency. See tour update.

Madonna has addressed her mystery illness for the first time, saying she’s “on the road to recovery” after she was rushed to intensive care.

A day after she was spotted walking in New York, the Material Girl thanked her supporters and vowed to return to the stage.

“My first thought when I woke up in hospital was my children,” she wrote on Instagram.

“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 the people who worked tirelessly with me over the last few months to create my show. I hate to disappoint anyone.”

Madonna in her first Instagram selfie since suffering a medical emergency. Picture: Supplied

While Madonna did not address speculation over the severity of her medical emergency, said to be a “brush with death” far worse than is being publicly stated, she plans to fully recover in time for her tour, to begin in Europe in October with the North American leg rescheduled.

The tour was scheduled to begin in Vancouver, Canada, on July 15. Her first appearance will instead be in London with four sell-out shows starting October 14.

“I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life,” she wrote.

“My focus now is my health and getting stronger and I can assure you, I’ll be back with you as soon as I can!”

The 64-year-old was seen wearing giant sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat and Nike sneakers while crossing the street in her Upper East Side neighbourhood just days after her “lifeless body” was discovered.

Pictures shared on TikTok by podcaster Lauren Conlin show Madonna seeming to have no trouble walking, although she was taking her time.

While the star was said to have suffered a serious bacterial infection, reporting from RadarOnline claimed she was revived by an emergency administration of Narcan, which is the brand name for a class of synthetic drug called naloxone.

@laurenconlin4#MADONNA#madonnafans#madonnaforever#celebritysighting#laureninterviews#nyc#newyorkcity♬ Lucky Star - Madonna

While Narcan is most commonly associated with treating suspected drug overdoses due to its ability to block opiate receptors, it is also used to reverse septic shock which Madonna was said to have suffered from. There was no suggestion that Narcan was used due to a drug overdose.

Madonna said in her statement that she could not be more grateful for the care and support of her fans in the days since she fell ill.

“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement,” she wrote. “I have felt your love.”

Originally published as Madonna breaks silence on ‘brush with death’