Barry Manilow reveals he has lung cancer and will reschedule shows to undergo surgery
Barry Manilow announced Monday that he has lung cancer and will postpone his January shows to undergo surgery.
The 82-year-old singer-songwriter revealed the diagnosis in a statement shared via Instagram on Monday. He said he recently had bronchitis for two periods of several weeks, so his doctor ordered an MRI as a precaution.
“The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed,” he wrote.
“It’s pure luck (and an excellent doctor) that it was discovered so early,” he said. “The doctors do not believe there is any spread and I am doing tests to confirm their diagnosis,” he added.
Manilow “had surgery to remove the stain”, forcing him to postpone January concerts during his Christmas Concerts: A Gift of Love.
His new show schedule will begin after his Valentine’s Day weekend concerts in Las Vegas and run from late February through April.
“We were all looking forward to the January shows and we hated having to move everything,” Manilow said after apologizing to his fans for the schedule changes.
He encouraged his fans to be proactive about their health, writing, “If you have any symptoms, get tested!”
Originally from New York, Manilow is a Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning musician whose hits include “Copacabana” and “Mandy.” In 2002, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Manilow has been married to her husband Garry Kief since 2014. The couple’s primary residence is in Palm Springs, California.
