Madonna has spoken candidly about being in a coma for two full days after a terrifying battle with sepsis. The legendary singer, now 67, was left fighting for her life in hospital and reflected on the experience in a recent interview with Vogue Italy.
Health Scare and Hospitalization
In 2023, Madonna suffered a severe bacterial infection and sepsis, also known as blood poisoning. She was rushed to intensive care, where her lungs and kidneys began to fail. She was connected to a tube and placed in a medically induced coma as her body shut down. Her tour was paused, but she made a full recovery and returned to the stage months later.
Gift from Her Sister
Speaking to Vogue Italy on Wednesday, July 1, Madonna gave a tour of her life, including a large plush octopus named Octavia. She revealed that she sleeps with it every night. The toy was a gift from one of her three sisters after she left the hospital. Madonna named it Octavia after nurse Olivia, who cared for her in the ICU.
“A couple of years ago I was really sick in the hospital. I was in a coma and this beautiful nurse that was taking care of me, her name was Olivia,” Madonna said. “She was screaming at me every day, telling me I needed to get up, I needed to get out of the ICU, and she really gave me a lot of courage and hope. When I got out of the hospital and came home, my sister gave me this octopus − I looked at her and all I could think about was my nurse who took care of me.”
Madonna joked that the toy is starting to get “kind of gross, but I love her. I adore her.”
Emotional Return to the Stage
When Madonna returned to the stage in 2024, she told the crowd that the concert was emotionally hard. She recalled waking from her coma and shouting “No!” — which she interpreted as God asking if she wanted to come with Him. “I’m pretty sure that was God saying to me, 'Do you want to come? Want to come up with me?' And I replied, 'No!'” she explained.
