Madonna reacts to the criticism that she has recently come under after posting altered images of freedom fighters, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
The images of the prominent historical figures were edited to mimic the cover photo of her new album, Rebel Heart, which featured the pop icon's face wrapped in cords.
The musician took to Facebook to apologize for the images.
I'm sorry," Madonna wrote in a post. "I'm not comparing my self to anyone I'm admiring and acknowledging [their] Rebel Hearts This is neither a crime or an insult or racist!"
Included in this series of photographs were images of Michael Jackson, Frida Khalo and Mariyln Monroe—all of whom were featured with the same artwork. She clarifies however that these pictures weren't edited by her.
"My fans did And I just re posted those photos."
She continues by defending the intent behind her fans artwork. "My fans aren't racist either. If they put me in the same category as these other people Thank you. I'm very flattered and I hope one day to live up to 1 100th of what those people accomplished."
The images are still up on Instagram but have since been pulled down from her Twitter account.