Madonna Struggled to Walk After 'Near-Death Experience' Led to 'Induced Coma': 'It Was So Hard'

Madonna has a lot more to celebrate at The Celebration Tour than just her four-decades of award-winning music, as she feels lucky to still be alive, let alone take the stage night after night to perform her greatest hits.

The Queen of Pop opened up about her recent health scare during her Monday, March 4, concert at Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

"This summer I had a surprise," Madonna informed the packed crowd. "It’s called a near-death experience."

In June 2023, the "Material Girl" singer collapsed and was rushed to the hospital with a "serious bacterial infection," causing the postponement of her world tour.

"It was pretty scary — obviously I didn’t know for four days because I was in an induced coma, but when I woke up, the first word I said was, 'No,'" Madonna recalled. "I’m pretty sure God was saying to me, ‘You wanna come with us? You wanna come with me, you wanna go this way?’ And I said, ‘No. No!'”

Once out of the hospital, Madonna's hard work ethic caused her to grow impatient with the recovery process.

"I would call in every other day and ask [my doctor] why I didn’t have any energy, when was my energy going to come back, when was I going to feel myself again, when can I go on tour again?" she expressed, noting, "all he would say is, 'Go outside, in the sun.'"

Madonna admitted even the smallest assigned task of moving from inside of her home to the backyard was an extreme struggle.

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"It was so hard for me to walk from my house to the backyard and sit in the sun. I know that sounds insane, but it was difficult, and I didn’t know when I could get up again, when I could be myself again, and when I’d have my energy back," the "Like a Virgin" hitmaker detailed. "It’s a strange thing to finally not feel like I was in control, and that was my lesson: to let go. Thank you to everyone who’s here that took care of me and listened to all of my endless complaining and need for predictions that I could not have. You’re patient and you’re kind. You still are."

Overall, Madonna said it was her six children — Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco Ritchie, 23, David Banda, 18, Mercy James, 18, and 11-year-old twins Estere and Stella Ciccone — who motivated the pop icon to get back on her feet.

"My children are what really helped me pull through because they worked so hard. My children worked so hard. I didn’t want to let them down, so I just set a date, and that date became a reality," Madonna shared regarding how she bounced back and started touring so soon after almost losing her life.

Plus, Madonna mentioned she "didn't want to disappoint" her "fans," concluding: "I never do."