Award winning entertainer Barry Manilow released a memo on social media last week that included a health update.
Loyal fans have seen several Las Vegas show dates cancelled due to a serious bout with bronchitis. The 82 year old Manilow was sidelined for six weeks with the illness and then another five weeks after a relapse.
Manilow noted that as a precautionary measure his doctor had ordered an MRI. The imaging revealed a small spot on one of Manilow’s lungs. Manilow wrote, “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.”
Manilow has since cancelled all of his concert dates for January in order for him to recover after the surgery. Manilow noted that he would be consuming plenty of chicken noodle soup and watching lots of “I Love Lucy” reruns.
Manilow plans on returning to performing in February; saying that the spot is not malignant and there is no need for chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
Earlier in his career, Manilow was a smoker but had quit.
The exact same thing happened to me. I was fortunate enough for it to have been found very early, but unfortunately as well, it came back 4 years later. I’m in remission right now.