Madonna Seems to Have ‘Burned Herself Out’ While Attempting to Compete With Young Stars Like Taylor Swift and Pink

Madonna, the iconic Queen of Pop, had been hospitalized with a serious bacterial infection on June 29. Reports now suggest that the star had been "burning herself out." According to The Sun, she was pushing herself to the limit to produce energetic concerts like younger stars such as Taylor Swift and Pink. An insider revealed that the 64-year-old singer had been preparing for her highly anticipated "Celebration" tour when she suddenly collapsed and was intubated for recovery.

Madonna had invested heavily in the tour and was working tirelessly to ensure its success. The Vogue singer had been putting in 12-hour days at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, to ensure that her 84-date tour turned out perfect, reports New York Post. According to an anonymous source, "The countdown was well and truly on. Madonna had all her chips on one number, which was this tour. She was working overtime, but she clearly burnt herself out and people around her have been politely reminding her that she is not 45 anymore, let alone 25." The source added, "She needed to pace herself. Pushing herself so hard was extremely risky." 

One friend of Madonna's made comparisons between the Material Girl singer and Michael Jackson. Jackson died while preparing for his "This Is It" tour in 2009; the friend expressed concerns that Madonna could suffer a similar fate. "Madonna was in good spirits before the incident, but some friends had encouraged her to take it easy and find time for rest because of the grueling schedule she had ahead of her," the source shared with The Sun, quotes the New York Post.

The source continued, "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. Nobody would say it out loud but there were concerns about another Michael Jackson situation if she doesn’t slow down a bit." Adding on how sudden this news seems to many fans, the source said, "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."

Post her discharge the source remarked, "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. Her condition is completely curable and she’s working with a group of doctors to boost her immune system. She’ll be back, I am 100% sure of it. God bless her. I hope she is still working and still killing it at 100."