Barry Manilow Scheduled for Surgery for Lung Cancer.

Barry Manilow announced that he was diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his lung and is set to have an operation.

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 enduringly popular entertainers, will have an operation to extract a portion of his lung in an effort to fight off 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 over the bronchitis and returned to the spotlight in Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor requested an MRI just to ensure that there were no issues.

“The MRI discovered a tumor on my lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a skilled doctor) that it was caught so early.”

Rescheduled Shows

He has delayed a number of forthcoming live performances, but stated he would be on stage again by Valentine’s Day for his enduring residency at his Vegas home.

He went on to say: “The medical team do not believe it has spread and I’m having examinations to verify their assessment. So, that’s it. No chemotherapy. No radiotherapy. Just chicken soup and favorite shows.

“I’m counting the days until I come back to my second home at the Westgate Las Vegas for our Valentine’s weekend concerts.”

Decades in the Spotlight

Manilow is presently in his 16th year of a show on the Las Vegas Strip. The singer has enjoyed a career spanning many years in the limelight and publicly identified as gay in 2017, after wedding his longtime partner and manager privately in 2014.

The pair were in a clandestine relationship for over 35 years. Recently, Manilow reflected on how vital Kief had been to him during his rise to peak fame in the 1970s.

“During my rapid rise to fame, it was just hectic. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can find yourself in a lot of problems if you, you know, you’re on your own evening after evening,” he said.

“But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had a person to be vulnerable with or to share joys with.

“I wish that young people don’t have to go back to those suites by themselves, because you get yourself in trouble. I never did. But it was very solitary until I met Garry. And then it was joyful.”