Barry Manilow has revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer of the lung and will undergo an operation.
Spot Found in Initial Phase
The 82-year-old singer, famous for his series of upbeat chart-toppers from "I Write the Songs" cemented his status as one of pop music’s cherished performers, will have an operation to remove part of his lung in an effort to combat the illness, which is at an early phase.
“As my fans are aware, I recently suffered from six weeks of bronchitis followed by a recurrence of another five weeks.
“Despite the fact that I was recovered from the illness and back on stage for my residency, my excellent physician requested an MRI just to be certain that everything was OK.
“The MRI detected a cancerous spot on my left side that requires removed. It’s sheer fortune (and a skilled doctor) that it was found so early.”
Rescheduled Shows
He has postponed a number of forthcoming live performances, but indicated he would be returning to perform by the February holiday for his long-running concert series at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.
He went on to say: “The doctors do not believe it has metastasized and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiotherapy. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.
“I’m counting the days until I return to my familiar venue at the Westgate Las Vegas for our Valentine’s weekend concerts.”
Professional and Personal Journey
Manilow is now in the 16th year of a concert series in Nevada. The singer has enjoyed a career spanning many years in the spotlight and came out as gay in 2017, after wedding his manager and long-term partner confidentially in 2014.
The duo were in a clandestine romance for in excess of 35 years. Recently, Manilow spoke about how crucial Kief had been to him during his explosion in popularity in the 1970s.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, returning to an vacant room, you can find yourself in a lot of difficulty if you, you know, you’re by yourself repeatedly,” he said.
“But I encountered my future husband right around when it was blowing up. And I was spared from having to go back to those lonesome rooms. I had a partner to be vulnerable with or to share joys with.
“I desire that newcomers today don’t have to go back to those rooms by themselves, because you can make poor choices. I never did. But it was very solitary until I met Garry. And then it was a shared adventure.”
