Pompeii officials said rumors of a “mega-party” at the historic site for Madonna’s birthday were “unfounded.”
Speculation had been swirling that the Queen of Pop was planning to throw a birthday party for 500 guests at the Grand Theatre, a 2,200-year-old amphitheater on the city’s ancient archaeological site (via The mirror).
This has led many to complain about this use of the historically significant ruins, with one representative from the Italia Nostra group calling it “absurd” and criticizing the organizers for “giving away Pompeii” (via The Independent).
But the authorities of the UNESCO World Heritage site issued a statement distancing themselves from this hypothesis. “As for the rumors circulating recently in the press about a “mega-party” of an international celebrity with 500 guests in the excavations of Pompeii, as well as an alleged rent of 30,000 euros for the Grand Theater, the archaeological park specifies that this information is unfounded,” it said.
Madonna will be 66 on Friday (August 16), and Pompeii Mayor Carime Lo Sapio reportedly told the Italian newspaper The Republic that “we are ready to welcome the singer.”
Pompeii was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, being buried under 20 feet of volcanic ash and pumice, killing thousands of residents.
Last month, Madge opened up about the fear of death she faced last year, writing: “A year ago today, I had just come home from hospital after surviving a life-threatening illness, I could barely stand in my garden holding a candle. I made a miraculous recovery and have had an incredible year. Thank you God. Life is beautiful!”
While the exact details of Madonna’s health issues last year are unknown, it has been revealed that she faced a life-threatening health episode in June 2023 after battling a “serious bacterial infection” that led to her falling into a coma and being admitted to intensive care.
Her loved ones revealed they were “preparing for the worst” when she fell ill. She has since made a full recovery, but was forced to postpone her US Celebration Tour concerts last year and instead began her European journey.
She’s also preparing a reissue of the album ‘Like A Prayer’ for its 35th anniversary, as part of her Silver Collection series. The limited edition will be released on September 6th – pre-order the box set here.
The album’s iconic song was recently included in the Marvel movie soundtrack. Deadpool et Wolverinewith two new remixes now available for streaming.
It also emerged last month that a biopic of her life was once again in the works, with Madonna herself saying she had rewritten the script, provisionally titled Who is this girl?.
The film has been speculated for several years, but was reportedly scrapped last year.
