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Madonna has postponed her tour after becoming ill and staying in intensive care for several days.

A statement posted on Instagram by the US pop icon’s manager, Guy Oseary, said: “On Saturday June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU.

“Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected.

“At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour.

“We will share more details with you soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows.”

The 64-year-old hitmaker was due to kick off the North America leg of her “Celebration” world tour, to mark the 40th anniversary of her musical career, in Vancouver, Canada, on 15 July.

Performances also include two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York in August, as well as Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas and Chicago.

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Her entourage was later scheduled to travel to London for four sold-out shows at the O2 Arena from 14 October to begin the European leg of the tour – which also includes stops in Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands.

The Material Girl is then booked for two more dates at the O2 Arena in December.

She called on fans to help her choose which songs make the Celebration Tour setlist, asking on social media: “What song would you like to dance to at my show?”

In a statement sent to Sky News, she said: “I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for.”

Just one week ago Madonna shared a series of images which appeared to show her in rehearsals with her 18.9m Instagram followers, captioned “The Calm Before The Storm”.

Mr Oseary’s Instagram post was liked by thousands of fans within minutes of him sharing the update on Wednesday evening.

Among the messages of support, one wrote: “The tour can wait. We aren’t going anywhere! Health before time. We love you.”

Another posted: “Wishing the best for Madonna and a speedy recovery! We will always be here for her when she’s ready to go!”.

American events promoter, Live Nation, has since confirmed the tour had been postponed, citing Mr Oseary’s Instagram post.

Madonna has paid tribute to her brother, pictured here performing in 2019
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The Material Girl is due to travel to London for four sell-out shows at the O2 Arena in October

In 2019 the Lucky Star singer cancelled dates on her Madame X tour on “doctors’ orders” after suffering “overwhelming pain”.

She told fans at the time: “Doing my show every night brings me so much joy and to cancel is a kind of punishment for me but the pain I’m in right now is overwhelming and I must rest and follow doctors’ orders so I can come back stronger and better and continue the Madame X journey with all of you.”

Madonna has announced the Celebration tour, marking 40 years of her greatest hits. Pic: Ricardo Gomes
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Thousands of fans have wished the star well, insisting ‘the tour can wait’ Pic: Ricardo Gomes

Read more:

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The star later pulled out of the first London show of the Madame X tour, scheduled for 27 January, 2020, after revealing how she had been “plagued” with injury since the beginning of the tour and was seen wearing knee supports.

She posted on social media that she “must always listen to my body and put my health first.”

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Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin

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Tomorrowland: 'Devastating' blaze destroys main stage at major festival - two days before it was due to begin

A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.

Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.

Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.

fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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The fire gutted the main stage


 fire which destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control

The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.

It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.

Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.

A fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky


The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.

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The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.

Read more from Sky News:
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.

Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.

“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”

Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen who said fire destroyed the main stage at the Tomorrowland festival site in Belgium
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Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’

Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.

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Robin Kaye: American Idol TV executive and her husband shot dead inside their Los Angeles home

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Robin Kaye: American Idol TV executive and her husband shot dead inside their Los Angeles home

An American Idol TV executive and her husband have been found dead in their LA home.

Robin Kaye was a music supervisor on the long-running reality TV series.

The bodies of the 70-year-old and her husband Thomas were discovered after officers conducted a welfare check at their home.

Both had died from gunshot wounds.

Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook
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Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook

Detectives say Raymond Boodarian has been arrested in connection with their deaths.

It is alleged the 22-year-old had burgled their property while they were away on 10 July – killing the couple upon their return.

According to Los Angeles Police, there were “no signs of forced entry or trouble” at the property.

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Ms Kaye was an industry veteran – and had previously worked on shows including Lip Sync Battle and The Singing Bee, as well as several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.

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Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles
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Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles

In a statement, an American Idol spokesperson said: “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.

“Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”

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Action taken to stop ticketless Oasis fans from watching this week’s shows in Manchester

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Action taken to stop ticketless Oasis fans from watching this week's shows in Manchester

Huge steel fences have been erected to prevent ticketless fans from watching the Oasis reunion tour in Manchester.

Liam and Noel Gallagher will resume their sold-out run of shows – their first since 2009 – with a performance at Heaton Park tonight, and two more on Saturday and Sunday.

While tens of thousands bought tickets for Oasis’s first two shows last weekend, crowds gathered to glimpse the large screens above the stage in the distance – in an area dubbed “Gallagher Hill” by some on social media.

People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. File pic: Reuters
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People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. Reuters file pic

Manchester City Council has now said more steel fences have been erected around parts of the park to prevent ticketless fans from watching the gigs, and to protect nature in the park.

“After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts,” it said.

“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.

“The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”

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Friday: Excited fans at Oasis homecoming gig

The fences will cover a large area of the hill within the park’s cattle field, which is being developed as a new woodland area with around 300 young trees planted.

The council added that there would be no facilities for people without a ticket, and said the event area is “double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round”.

More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will also be on duty around the site “to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticket-holders and that only those who have tickets access the concert”, it said.

Read more:
What was Oasis’s first show in 16 years like?
Fans queue all day for Manchester homecoming gig

John Hacking, the council’s executive member for employment, skills and leisure, also said in a statement that “unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place”.

He added: “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.

“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.

“We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy, whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”

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