(showbizspy.com) - Madonna's friends have started to fear for the singer's health.
Following the pop superstar's gaunt appearance as she visited the Kabbalah Centre in NYC on July 25, those close to Madonna worry she is becoming a shadow of her former, more glamorous, self.
A source says, "No one has ever seen her like this.
"She just seems like she's in shock. Things keep piling up every day - new rumors, new problems - and she's saying she can't see the light at the end of the tunnel."
However, the Material Girl hitmaker's publicist, Liz Rosenberg earlier this week defended the controversial pics, saying, "I just think the photographer got a bad shot of her or it was touched up to make her look bad.
"I saw Madonna two days before at her rehearsal and she looked amazing - glowing skin and working really hard on her show.
"She may look a little thinner than usual, but she was dancing and singing better than ever and ate a nice healthy meal."