Iconic Singer Barry Manilow Will Have Surgery for Cancer in His Lung.
Barry Manilow has revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer of the lung and is set to have surgery.
Early-Stage Diagnosis
The 82-year-old singer, whose parade of high-spirited hits from "I Write the Songs" established him as one of pop music’s cherished performers, will have an operation to extract a portion of his lung in an effort to fight off the illness, which is at an early phase.
“As my fans are aware, I recently endured six weeks of a bronchial infection followed by a return of another five weeks.
“Despite the fact that I was past the infection and returned to the spotlight at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor requested an MRI just to be certain that there were no issues.
“The MRI detected a malignant lesion on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s sheer fortune (and a fantastic physician) that it was caught so early.”
Rescheduled Shows
He has rescheduled a series of planned concerts, but indicated he would be on stage again by the February holiday for his enduring residency in Las Vegas.
He continued: “The physicians do not believe it has metastasized and I’m having examinations to support their conclusion. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just rest and recuperation and I Love Lucy reruns.
“I’m counting the days until I rejoin my second home for our Vegas run for our February love-themed shows.”
Decades in the Spotlight
Manilow is currently in the 16th year of a show in Nevada. The singer has been in the limelight and revealed he is gay in 2017, after wedding his longtime partner and manager confidentially in 2014.
The pair were in a private romance for over 35 years. In 2023, Manilow spoke about how vital his husband had been to him during his rise to peak fame in the 1970s.
“As my career exploded, it was just hectic. And, you know, coming home to an vacant room, you can land in a lot of problems if you, you know, you’re by yourself repeatedly,” he said.
“But I met Garry right around when it was taking off. And I no longer had to go back to those isolated suites. I had somebody to cry with or to share joys with.
“I wish that young people don’t have to go back to those rooms by themselves, because you get yourself in trouble. I never did. But it was quite isolating until I met Garry. And then it was joyful.”