USA TODAY
It’s a queen’s birthday! Madonna, iconic pop star, turns 65 on Aug. 16, 2023. To get us “Into the Groove” of Madonna’s birthday celebration, scroll through for some photos honoring her legacy and show why we’ll always be “Crazy for You.”
LORRAINE DAY, XXX
July 2018: Madonna watches Migos perform during Day 2 of Wireless Festival 2018 at Finsbury Park in London, England.
Joseph Okpako
From the “Like A Virgin” tour to the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards kiss, Madonna’s path to icon status hasn’t been without surprises.
AP
Jan. 2017: Madonna performs onstage during the Women’s March on Washington in Washington, DC.
Theo Wargo, Getty Images
May 2018: Madonna arrives for the 2018 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute. The Gala’s 2018 theme is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.
ANGELA WEISS, AFP/Getty Images
July 2017: US pop star Madonna (L) hugs her Malawian adopted daughter Mercy James after she made a speech during the opening ceremony of the Mercy James Children’s Hospital at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. Madonna on July 11 took her four adopted Malawian children back to their home country for the opening of a pediatric hospital wing that her charity has built.
AMOS GUMULIRA, AFP/Getty Images
May 2016: Recording artist Madonna performs a tribute to Prince onstage during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Aren in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jeff Kravitz/BBMA2016, FilmMagic
Sep. 2015: Madonna performs during the premiere of her Rebel Heart tour, in Montreal.
Ryan Remiorz, AP
Feb. 2015: In this file photo, Seven-time Grammy winner Madonna arrives on the red carpet for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Madonna is recovering after falling ill with a “serious bacterial infection” that landed her in an intensive care unit for several days, her manager Guy Oseary said in a statement posted to social media on June 28. “Her health is improving, however, she is still under medical care,” he said. “A full recovery is expected.” Oseary said the pop icon’s “Celebrations” tour, due to start July 15 in Vancouver, was postponed until further notice.
VALERIE MACON, AFP Via Getty Images
Jan. 2014: Singer Madonna (R) and son David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie attend the 56th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California.
Jeff Vespa, WireImage
Oct. 2009: Madonna, second from left, participates in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the planned site of a school the pop star intended to help fund, the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, in the impoverished southern African country Malawi. In 2011, Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity decided not to build the school. With the 2018 launch of a public school in Akron, Ohio, built in a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron City Schools, the NBA basketball star has joined a long list of celebrities who have sought to leave their mark on education centers in the U.S. and abroad.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, AP
Sept. 14, 1984: Debuting in 1982, Madonna was nominated for “Best New Artist” in video at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
AP
Aug. 2004: Madonnas’ Reinvention World Tour reaches Earls Court Arena, in London.
FRANCES LEADER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jan. 28, 1985: Less than a year later, Madonna’s at it again, attending the American Music Awards.
AP
April 10, 1985: Madonna performs during the opening of The Virgin Tour in Seattle.
Barry Sweet, AP
July 13,1985: Madonna performs onstage with a dancer during Live Aid famine relief concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia Pa.
AMY SANCETTA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nov. 1986: Madonna goes blonde. The singer is prepared by a hair stylist in front of the Trump Tower in New York, where her upcoming film “Slammer,” is being shot.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 1986: Madonna supports her husband actor Sean Penn at the screening of his new movie. The two married on her birthday in 1985 and would divorce in 1989.
CRAG MATHEW, Associated Press
July 15, 1987: Madonna performs during a concert at the Seattle Kingdome as part of her “Who’s That Girl” world tour.
AP
Aug. 6, 1987: Madonna greets her fans from a platform in Time Square, near the Broadway Theatre, where her new film, “Who’s That Girl” made its New York debut.
AP
Aug. 18, 1987: Continuing her tour, Madonna performs with a male dancer during her concert at Wembly Stadium in London, England.
Gill Allen, ASSOCIATED PRESS
1989: Backup dancers mimic Madonna’s performance.
NONE, Michael Ochs Archives Via Getty Images
March 12, 1990: Madonna, who canceled the first of three shows in Philadelphia because of a sore throat, sings before 14,000 fans during her “Blonde Ambition” tour, which also took her to Tokyo and Rome.
SEAN KARDON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
1991: Madonna performs “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” from the motion picture “Dick Tracy” during the Academy Awards.
Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
1993: During the Madonna-Girlie Show Tour, the singer performs at Madison Square Garden.
Steve Eichner, WireImage
Dec. 14, 1996: Madonna attends the premiere of her new film “Evita” in Los Angeles.
Mark J. Terrill, AP
March 24, 1997: Madonna performs a song from her film “Evita” at the Academy Awards. The song was nominated for an Oscar.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1998: Madonna performs at a concert.
EDGAR SCHOEPAL, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jan. 18, 2001: Madonna attends the premiere of her husband Guy Ritchie’s film “Snatch.” The two married in 2000 and had one son together before divorcing in 2008.
KEVIN WINTER, KEVIN WINTER/IMAGEDIRECT
June 9, 2001: Madonna stops in Spain as part of her “Drowned World” tour.
CESAR RANGEL, Associated Press
Sept. 9, 2001: Continuing her “Drowned World” tour, Madonna pushes off her dancers as she performs the song “Impressive Instant” in Los Angeles.
KEVORK DJANSEZIAN, Associated Press
May 23, 2002: Madonna as Loren and Tom Irwin as Gerry are seen in ‘Up For Grabs’ at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London.
DANIEL SMITH, Associated Press
May 23, 2002: Madonna arrives for an after-show party at the St. Martins Lane Hotel in London.
TIM WHITBY, Associated Press
Nov. 18, 2002: Madonna meets Queen Elizabeth at the world premiere of James Bond movie “Die Another Day”, at the Royal Albert Hall. The singer recorded the title song of the film.
DAN CHUNG, AFP
Aug. 28, 2003: It was triple threat at the MTV Music Awards as Madonna performed alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
SCOTT GRIES, GETTY IMAGES
Aug. 28, 2003: The kiss heard around the world, Madonna’s kiss first with Britney Spears, and then with Christina Aguilera during the MTV Video Music Awards caused heads to turn.
JULIE JACOBSON, Associated Press
April 24, 2003: Madonna attends the launch party for “The 72 Names of God,” a book by Rabbi Yehuda Berg, the co-director of The Kabbalah Center, at the New Museum for Contemporary Art.
SARA JAYE, XXX GETTY
May 24, 2004: Madonna performs at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles.
NAM Y HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 26, 2004: Madonna performs onstage during the opening night of her “Re-Invention” World Tour.
Frank Micelotta, Getty Images
Nov. 19, 2005: Madonna performs live at weekly gay night G-A-Y, promoting her latest album “Confessions On A Dance Floor” at The Astoria in London, England.
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Feb. 26, 2006: Madonna poses in the Awards Room with the award for International Female Solo Artist at The Brit Awards in London.
Chris Jackson, Getty Images
May 21, 2006: Madonna performs during her concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The concert marked the kick-off of the North American leg of her Confessions tour.
CHRIS PIZZELLO, AP
Aug. 1, 2006: Madonna continues her “Confessions” World Tour to London where she performs at Wembley Arena.
Dave Hogan, Getty Images
April 17, 2007: Madonna holds her adopted son David Banda in her arms as her daughter Lourdes interact with him at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji, Malawi.
KAREL PRINSLOO, AP
May 22, 2008: Madonna poses as she arrives to attend the amfAR’s Cinema Against AIDS 2008 benefit at Le Moulin de Mougins during the 61st International Cannes Film Festival.
FRED DUFOUR, AFP/Getty Images
March 10, 2008: Justin Timberlake inducts Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Jason DeCrow, AP
Nov. 6, 2008: Madonna gets help from an old friend, Britney Spears, during her Sticky and Sweet Tour at Dodgers Stadium.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images
March 30, 2009: Madonna with her son, Malawian adoptee, David Banda visit the Mphandula Child Care Centre built by Madonna’s charity.
AMOS GUMULIRA, AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 15, 2009: Madonna and her daughter Lourdes Leon attends the premiere of “Nine” at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York.
Peter Kramer, AP
Feb. 14, 2010: Madonna and her Brazilian boyfriend Jesus Luz enjoy Valentine’s Day at the famed parades of Rio’s Carnival in the Sambodrome.
JUAN BARRETO, AFP/Getty Images
Oct. 23, 2011: Madonna arrives for the BFI London Film Festival gala screening of a film she directed “W.E.”
Joel Ryan, AP
Jan. 22, 2011: Madonna performs “Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief” at Kaufman Studios in New York City.
Handout, Getty Images
May 2011: Madonna arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala.
Peter Kramer, AP
Feb 5, 2012: Madonna performs with M.I.A. and Nicki Minaj during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show.
Al Bello, Getty Images
Nov. 13, 2012: Madonna performs onstage with South Korean rapper PSY during Madonna’s MDNA concert at Madison Square Garden.
Guy Oseary, AP
April 5, 2013: Madonna tours the Mphandura orpahange near Lilongwe, Malawi with her two adopted children David Banda and Mercy James.
Thoko Chikondi, AP
JUNE 18, 2013: Madonna attends the Dolce & Gabbana and The Cinema Society screening of the Epix World premiere of “Madonna: The MDNA Tour” at The Paris Theatre.
Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images
Dec. 10, 2013: Brahim Zaibat and Madonna attend the 2013 Costume Institute Gala – PUNK: Chaos to Couture at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
John Lamparski, Getty Images
Jan. 26, 2014: Madonna poses with David Banda on the red carpet during the 56th Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
ROBYN BECK, AFP/Getty Images
Jan. 28, 2014: Madonna and Miley Cyrus perform onstage during Miley Cyrus: MTV Unplugged at Sunset Gower Studios.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images For MTV
Nov. 30, 2014: Madonna sits among Malawian children during a visit to the Mkoko Primary School, one of the schools Madonna’s Raising Malawi organization has built jointly with US organization BuildOn in the Kasungu District, Central Malawi.
AMOS GUMULIRA, AFP/Getty Images
March 29, 2015: Madonna and Taylor Swift perform ‘Ghost Town’ onstage during the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images For IHeartMedia
March 29, 2015: Madonna and Taylor Swift lock lips, reminiscent of Madonna’s 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance.
Kevin Winter, Getty Images For IHeartMedia
April 12, 2015: Madonna then sets her sights on Drake, kissing him on stage at Coachella.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images For Coachella
Jan. 9, 2016: Madonna reunites with ex-husband Sean Penn for the 5th Annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala Benefiting J/P Haitian Relief Organization at Montage Hotel.
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images For J/P HRO
May 22, 2016: Madonna pays tribute to Prince during the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
JB Lacroix, WireImage
Nov. 7, 2016: Madonna performs in support of the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at Washington Square Park.
Greg Allen, Greg Allen/Invision/AP
July 11, 2017: Madonna, kisses one of her adopted daughters Stella, as son David Banda, right, looks on at the opening of The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, located at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in the city of Blantyre, Malawi.
Thoko Chikondi, AP
Jan. 21, 2017: Madonna performs onstage during the Women’s March on Washington DC.
Theo Wargo
MAY 7, 2018: Jean Pul Gaultier and Madonna attend Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
John Lamparski, Getty Images
July 16, 2018: Madonna speaks to the press at a news conference in Blantyre, Malaw.
Thoko Chikondi, AP
In response, Madonna said, “Just to clarify: I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin…I did not intend to do a tribute to her!
Michael Loccisano, Getty Images For MTV
She performed a single from her 14th studio album, “Madame X,” saying, “Let’s never underestimate the power of music to bring people together.
Michael Campanella, Getty Images
The focus of the still-untitled film will be her music. “Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me,” Madonna says.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Sept. 12, 2021: Madonna appears at the 2021MTV Video Music Awards in a sultry leather bodysuit under a trench coat.
Charles Sykes, Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
May 28, 2022: Madonna attends the Gervonta Davis vs Rolando Romero fight at Barclays Center with son David. The pop icon was spotted rocking her signature blond hair with pink sunglasses.
Al Bello, Getty Images
June 23, 2022: Madonna performs onstage during her LGBTQ celebration at Terminal 5 in New York City.
Ricardo Gomes