Music Legend Barry Manilow to Undergo an Operation for Lung Cancer.
Barry Manilow announced that he was diagnosed with lung cancer and will be having a surgical procedure.
Early-Stage Diagnosis
The legendary 82-year-old artist, famous for his series of beloved anthems from "I Write the Songs" cemented his status as one of pop music’s most beloved entertainers, will have a procedure to take out a section of lung tissue in an effort to fight off the illness, which is detected early.
“For those who have been following, I recently went through six weeks of a bronchial infection followed by a relapse of another five weeks.
“Even though I was recovered from the illness and performing again at the Westgate Las Vegas, my attentive medical team requested an MRI just to ensure that all was clear.
“The MRI discovered a malignant lesion on my lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was discovered so early.”
Rescheduled Shows
He has postponed a string of forthcoming live performances, but stated he would be on stage again by Valentine’s Day for his long-running residency at his Vegas home.
He continued: “The medical team do not believe it has metastasized and I’m having examinations to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.
“I’m looking forward to until I rejoin my familiar venue for our Vegas run for our February love-themed shows.”
Professional and Personal Journey
Manilow is now in the 16th year of a show on the Las Vegas Strip. The singer has been in the spotlight and publicly identified as gay in 2017, after wedding his partner of many years, Garry Kief in secret in 2014.
The couple were in a private romance for over 35 years. Recently, Manilow spoke about how crucial his husband had been to him during his explosion in popularity in the 1970s.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you, you know, you’re by yourself repeatedly,” he said.
“But I found my partner right around when it was blowing up. And I no longer had to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to enjoy success with.
“I desire that young people don’t have to go back to those hotel rooms by themselves, because you might succumb to pitfalls. I never did. But it was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was joyful.”
