Barry Manilow, the singer known for the classic hits “Can’t Smile Without You” and “Copacabana,” has announced that he will be having surgery for a “cancerous spot” found on one of his lungs.
The 82-year-old musician who has 51 Top 40 singles to his name, took to his official Instagram account (@barrymanilowofficial) on December 22 to share a statement about his condition and upcoming surgery plans.
“As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks. Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK. The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early. That’s the good news,” he wrote.
He continued on another page: “The bad news is that now that the Christmas A Gift of Love concerts are over I’m going into surgery to have the spot removed. The doctors do not believe it has spread and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and I Love Lucy reruns.”
The post has been liked more than 9,000 times to date, leading to many messages of well wishes in the comments from celebrity friends and loyal fans.
Manilow said he will need a month to recover and his arena concerts planned for January will be rescheduled. The news comes following an impressive career that has spanned over six decades.
“The only follow-up is a month to recover and that means we have to reschedule the January arena concerts…I’m very sorry that you have to change your plans,” he added in his Instagram message. “Just like you we were all looking forward to the January shows and hate having to move everything around. In the meantime, I’m counting the days until I return to my home away from home at the Westgate Las Vegas for our Valentine’s weekend concerts on February 12-13-14 and throughout 2026.
“Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!”
The post had been captioned: “A Statement from Barry Manilow.”
Among commenters were talk show host Leeza Gibbons, who wrote: “Nothing can keep you down. Nothing can stop you with your amazing attitude and resilience. Steven and I love you and are sending healing vibes. Call me if you want company to watch I LOVE LUCY!”
