Barry Manilow has revealed he has lung cancer and will undergo surgery. In a statement on Instagram, the "Copacabana" singer revealed the news, sharing that the diagnosis was made after an MRI scan following 11 weeks of bronchitis, and that he would be canceling a string of US tour dates.
"As many of you know, I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks," he shared 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."
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early. That’s the good news."
Barry, 82, will now undergo surgery to have the spot removed and shared that "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," he joked, before issuing a warning to fans, saying: "Remember, if you have even the slightest symptom…get tested!"
He will reschedule a string of arena concerts in Orlando, Tampa, Charleston, Greensboro and Columbus, currently set for January 2026, but said he was "counting down the days" until concerts on Valentine’s weekend in February and throughout 2026 at the Westgate Las Vegas.
© Getty ImagesThe singer and songwriter has a career spanning over sixty years, with hit singles including "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Mandy", and "Copacabana (At the Copa)," which won him his Grammy for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance.
One of the best-selling artists in the world, he has had 13 number one singles after finding fame when Bette Midler saw his act in 1971 and chose him as her pianist at the Continental Baths in New York City that year.
In 2002 he was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and he has won two Emmys, in 1977 for Outstanding Special: Comedy, Variety or Music for The Barry Manilow Special, and again in 2006 for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for Barry Manilow: Music And Passion.
© WireImageIn 2017 he came out as a gay man and revealed he had married his partner of nearly 40 years, Garry Kief, in 2014. "I thought I would be disappointing [fans] if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything," he told People magazine at the time.
"[Garry is] the smartest person I've ever met in my life – and a great guy, too," he said of his husband. "I knew that this was it. I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that."The pair tied the knot in a small ceremony in Palm Springs.
