Barry Manilow details health scare and recovery after lung cancer surgery
The singer says he never expected to face cancer due to his nonstop music career
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow has opened up about his recent battle with lung cancer, admitting he “never thought” the disease would affect him because he was too focused on his long-running music career.
The 82-year-old Copacabana hitmaker was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in December 2025 after doctors discovered the illness during an MRI scan prompted by ongoing bronchitis symptoms.
He later underwent a lobectomy to remove a cancerous tumor from his left lung.
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Manilow reflected on the shock of the diagnosis and the rapid series of health complications that followed.
“I never thought cancer would get me it wasn’t in the cards,” he said, explaining that he initially planned to complete a short run of shows before heading into surgery.
However, his condition became more complicated than expected. Alongside the cancer diagnosis, he experienced atrial fibrillation, acid reflux, and pneumonia, which led to a seven-day stay in intensive care.
“They rushed me to the ICU for seven days,” he recalled, adding that the experience forced him to confront a level of vulnerability he had never faced before.
Manilow admitted that his mindset — built around decades of performing and leading audiences — did not prepare him for being a patient.
“I’m too busy. Pretty stupid,” he said, reflecting on why he believed cancer would not affect him. “I’ve always been the leader… but I wasn’t the leader of this one.”
The Grammy-winning artist said the ordeal taught him to rely heavily on medical staff, friends, and family during his recovery.
When he was eventually transferred back to his hospital room at the Eisenhower Medical Center, he said his weight had dropped to 128 pounds — a number he was stunned by.
“I don’t remember ever being 128,” he said.
Manilow was forced to postpone multiple concert dates as he underwent treatment and recovery.
Although he initially expected to return to the stage by January, he has remained off tour as he continues to heal.
Describing his time away from performing, he was blunt: “Agony.”
For an artist whose career has long followed a cycle of recording and touring, the pause has been difficult.
Still, he said he is now focused on recovery and following doctors’ instructions, calling it “the only way out.”
