Pompeii officials respond after rumours of Madonna ‘mega’ birthday party spark outrage
Officials in Pompeii have said that rumours of a “mega-party” at the historical site for Madonna’s birthday are “unfounded”.
Speculation had been circulating that the Queen of Pop was planning to throw a birthday party for 500 guests at the Large Theatre, a 2,200-year-old amphitheatre on the city’s ancient archaeological site (via The Mirror).
It had caused many to complain about such use of the historically important ruins, with a representative from the Italia Nostra group calling it “absurd” and criticising organisers for “giving Pompeii away” (via The Independent).
But now, authorities from the UNESCO World Heritage Site have released a statement distancing themselves from the suggestion. “Regarding the rumours circulating in the press these days about a “mega-party” of an international celebrity with 500 guests in the excavations of Pompeii, as well as about an alleged rent of €30,000 for the Large Theatre, the Archaeological Park specifies that these are unfounded reports,” they said.
Madonna turns 66 years old on Friday (August 16), and the mayor of Pompeii, Carime Lo Sapio, had reportedly told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that “we are ready to welcome the singer”.
Pompeii was famously destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79, being buried under 20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice, which killed thousands of residents.
Last month, Madge reflected on the near-death health scare she faced last year, writing: “A year ago today, I had just come home from the hospital after surviving a life threatening illness, I could barely stand in my backyard holding one sparkler. I made a miraculous recovery and had an amazing year. Thank you God. Life is beautiful!”
While exact details of Madonna’s health scare last year aren’t known, it was revealed that she faced a life-threatening health episode in June 2023 after battling a “serious bacterial infection” that led to her slipping into a coma and being admitted to the ICU.
Her relatives revealed that they were were initially “preparing for the worst” when she became unwell. She has since made a full recovery, but was forced to postpone her US shows on ‘The Celebration Tour’ last year and instead began the trek in Europe.
She is also preparing to re-release the ‘Like A Prayer’ album for its 35th anniversary, as part of her ongoing Silver Collection series. The limited edition release will be released on September 6 – pre-order the package here.
The album’s iconic title track was recently included on the soundtrack to Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, with two new remixes now available on streaming.
It also emerged last month that a biopic of her life is back in the works, with Madonna herself saying she’d been rewriting the script, tentatively titled Who’s That Girl.
The film has been speculated upon for several years, but was reportedly scrapped last year.
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Max Pilley
NME
