Barry Manilow has revealed that he has lung cancer and is set to go in for surgery after it was ‘found early.’
The 82-year-old singer shared a statement with fans on Monday, December 22, revealing he was postponing concerts due to his diagnosis.
‘As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,’ he began in a statement on Instagram.
‘Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK.
‘The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that is was found so early.
‘That’s the good news,’ he said.
He then revealed the ‘bad news’, that some of his tour dates would be pushed back so he could have treatment.
‘The bad news is that now that the Christmas Gift Of Love concerts are over I’m going into surgery to have the spit removed.
‘The doctors do not believe it has spread and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis.
‘So that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.
‘The only follow-up is a month to recover and that means we have to reschedule the January arena concerts,’ he said, revealing the new tour dates.
He then promised fans that he’d be back in action for his scheduled February dates, which are set to take place around Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas.
‘Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!’ he promised.
Barry previously revealed a throat cancer diagnosis in 2020, but made a swift recovery.
He has previously been open about how he became hooked on cigarettes at the age of nine and smoked for decades, but now prefers vaping and e-cigarettes.
Speaking to the London Evening Standard in 2012, he said: ‘Well, I smoked for 30 years. I started when I was nine years old. I grew up in Brooklyn. Then I stopped about 15, 20 years ago.
‘Then I just started in Las Vegas and the band and I went down to a little club and somebody offered me a cigarette. And I was back.
‘Within a week I was back. Not on a pack a day, ’cause when I was really smoking I was on three packs a day – non filters. Oh yeah. I was a great smoker.’
The Copacabana singer has also overcome numerous other health issues, including bronchial pneumonia, a mouth tumor, heart problems and hip surgery. He once admitted he’s amazed he can still put on a show.
He told the Mirror in 2019: ‘I’m fine, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m very old, I should not be able to do this.
‘You saw me going up those stairs on stage – there’s 14 steps up and 14 down, you would think I should be in a wheelchair or something.’