On July 23 2013, Madonna attended the funeral of her close friend David Collins in Monkstown, Ireland.
Madonna had initially met Collins in 1995 while she was in London to record the soundtrack for Evita. Well-known for his work as an architect and interior designer, Collins also received a songwriting credit on Drowned World/Substitute For Love when Madonna chose to adapt elements of a poem he had written for her into the song’s lyrics.
On June 18 2013, Madonna rocked a tuxedo while attending the premiere of her new film Madonna: The MDNA Tour held at the Paris Theatre in New York City.
On April 23 2013, Madonna was listed as a nominee in 3 different categories for the 2013 Billboard Music Awards:
The 2013 Billboard Music Awards were later held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19 2013. Madonna won all 3 categories she was nominated in.
On February 19 2013, Beyonce mentioned Madonna as being a maverick in Gentlewoman magazine:
“I think about Madonna and how she took all of the great things she achieved and started the label and developed other artists. But there are not enough of those women.”
On August 8 2013, Live Nation and Interscope Records announced that Madonna’s MDNA World Tour concert film would be released September 10 on DVD, Blu-ray and as a digital album.
Directed by Danny B. Tull and Stephane Sennour and produced by Madonna, the two hour non-stop performance includes songs from Madonna’s MDNA album such as “Girl Gone Wild” and “Gang Bang,” as well as fan favorites including exhilarating versions of “Hung Up,” “Express Yourself,” “Vogue,” “Open Your Heart,” “Like A Prayer” and “Celebration.”
The MDNA World Tour was released in Australia and Germany on September 6, France and the United Kingdom on September 9, North America on September 10, Mexico on September 13 and Brazil on September 25.
On June 19 2013, Debi Mazar talked to The Cut about how she first met Madonna:
I was in Danceteria, working the elevator. She came into my elevator, and a great song was spinning and she goes, ‘Hey, you wanna dance? And I was like, ‘Yeah!’ And I parked the elevator, and we had a great dance together and then later on we danced some more. She wasn’t, like, a big star yet. She was just a girl from Detroit who had a real raw sexuality. From there on we became pals and started dancing and hanging out. I was doing makeup then, and so I did her makeup for years. She was like, ‘I’m gonna be a star one day,’ and I was like, ‘Great!’ We also did videos together. The first one was a song called ‘Everybody,’ and we filmed at the Paradise Garage, and Keith Haring was there. That was the beginning. I was always trying to pluck her eyebrows — they’re caterpillars. At this moment in time I probably wouldn’t pluck them, but it was the eighties, so, you know. Anyway, we remained girlfriends and we still are.
On February 14 2013, Mark Kamins, Madonna’s ex-boyfriend, and pioneering DJ-producer who helped launch her career, died.
A fixture in the downtown New York City scene of the early 1980s, he held court at Danceteria and produced Madonna’s debut single, Everybody.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Madonna wrote:
“I’m very sorry to hear about Mark’s death. I haven’t seen him for years but if it weren’t for him, I might not have had a singing career. He was the first DJ to play my demos before I had a record deal. He believed in me before anyone else did. I owe him a lot. May he Rest in Peace.”
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