Madonna to end tour with free show

NEW YORK

Madonna will perform a free mega-concert in May on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach to close out her "Celebration" tour, the singer and organizers announced on March 25.

Calling it her "biggest show yet," a statement on the pop icon's website said the concert is meant as a "thank you to her fans for celebrating more than four decades of her music."

The 65-year-old, whose greatest hits include such classics as "Like A Virgin" and "Material Girl," last performed in Brazil in 2012.

The May 4 mega-show will be her only concert in South America under her "Celebration" tour, which has taken her to more than a dozen countries and is meant to honor her 40-year career.

Organizers said that the show will have similarities with the New Year's Eve "Reveillon" parties held on the beaches of Rio.

In 2006, a Rolling Stones show in Copacabana attracted between 1.2 and 1.5 million people, according to estimates at the time.

The "Celebration" tour is now in North America, with three April performances in Miami and five in Mexico City, the only Latin American stop before Rio.

Madonna, who has won seven Grammy Awards and sold more than 300 million records worldwide, has additionally taken on acting, film directing and various business ventures over the years.