Madonna reveals first word she said after coming out of ‘near-death’ coma

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Last June, the 65-year-old “Like a Virgin” singer was forced to delay her Celebration Tour after she was admitted to the ICU to treat a “serious bacterial infection”. “It’s called a near-death experience.” She recalled: “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.’ “I’m pretty sure God was saying to me, ‘You wanna come with us? That was my lesson to let go.” In the month following her release from hospital, Madonna thanked fans for their “prayers and words of healing and encouragement”. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up At the time, the “Material Girl” singer also revealed: “My first thought when I woke up in the hospital was my children.” Madonna has six children – Lourdes Leon, 27, Rocco Ritchie, 23, 18-year-old David Banda, whom she adopted in 2006, 18-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James, whom she adopted in 2009, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere, whom she adopted in 2017.