Barry Manilow, 82, got candid about his difficult journey recovering from lung cancer and how it's affected his career.
He revealed on Good Morning America on June 1 that he remains uncertain about whether or not his singing voice will return prior to his upcoming summer tour, which will kick off on June 9 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
The iconic performer admitted: "My voice. I don't know whether it's coming back. I did my first sound check about a month ago, and I didn't sound like me at all. I just couldn't believe that. That it's over."
© Getty ImagesBarry shared an update on how his recovery has been since undergoing lung cancer surgery last year, followed by spending a week battling with pneumonia in the ICU.
He went in for an MRI in November and that's when doctors saw that he had cancer.
The star expressed: "I'm doing good. It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer."
Barry recalled: "They checked my lungs and they found the dot. The spot. That thing that you don't want to ever have. They said I had lung cancer and we have to get it out."
© InstagramBarry gets vulnerable
The singer vulnerably awknowledged that he didn't know if he would make it at the time.
Barry said: "I was in ICU for seven days. It was terrifying. There was a couple of moments there that I thought, you know, this may be goodbye."
© Getty ImagesBarry's mindset
Although that was a challenging time for Barry, one positive that came out of it was realizing just how loved and cherished he was by his fans all around the world.
He added: "The thing that shocked me was all the people around the world being concerned about me. It was note after note after note about, you know, 'we're praying for you.'"
The star shared that despite any challenges he may face with his singing voice, he's looking forward to getting the show on the road.
© Getty ImagesBarry expressed: "I can't wait to get back. I'm in great shape. I'm ready to go. I just hope my voice is. If I sound good, that would be just great."
The singer hinted that he may get emotional on stage, adding: "I really don't want to cry on stage, but I don't know whether I'll be able to hold that back this time."
Barry's new album, What A Time, will be released on June 5. The project will be a career milestone for the entertainer, as it is his first studio album in almost 15 years.
