Barry Manilow to Undergo Surgery for Cancer in His Lung.
Barry Manilow has revealed that he received a diagnosis with a cancerous growth in his lung and will be having a surgical procedure.
Early-Stage Diagnosis
The legendary 82-year-old artist, known for a string of high-spirited hits from "Mandy" established him as one of pop music’s cherished performers, will have surgery to extract a portion of his lung in an effort to combat the disease, which is detected early.
“For those who have been following, I recently endured six weeks of a bronchial infection followed by a relapse of another five weeks.
“Even though I was recovered from the illness and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my excellent physician ordered an MRI just to be certain that everything was OK.
“The MRI detected a tumor on my left side that must be removed. It’s pure luck (and a skilled doctor) that it was found so early.”
Concert Delays
He has delayed a series of planned shows, but stated he would be on stage again by the February holiday for his long-running concert series in Las Vegas.
He added: “The doctors do not believe it has traveled and I’m undergoing further tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemotherapy. No radiation. Just home remedies and favorite shows.
“I’m counting the days until I come back to my familiar venue at the Westgate Las Vegas for our special weekend performances.”
Professional and Personal Journey
Manilow is currently in the 16th year of a residency at the Westgate Las Vegas. The singer has been in the spotlight and publicly identified as gay in 2017, after marrying his partner of many years, Garry Kief confidentially in 2014.
The duo were in a clandestine relationship for in excess of 35 years. Recently, Manilow discussed how vital Kief had been to him during his ascent to stardom in the 1970s.
“As my career exploded, it was just overwhelming. And, you know, returning to an lonesome hotel suite, you can get into a lot of trouble if you, you know, you’re alone evening after evening,” he said.
“But I found my partner right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those isolated suites. I had somebody to be vulnerable with or to enjoy success with.
“I hope that aspiring artists 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 a shared adventure.”
