Barry Manilow to Undergo an Operation for Cancer in His Lung.

Barry Manilow announced that he received a diagnosis with cancer of the lung and will undergo a surgical procedure.

Early-Stage Diagnosis

The 82-year-old singer, famous for his series of high-spirited hits from "Copacabana" cemented his status as one of pop music’s cherished showmen, will have an operation to remove part of his lung in an effort to treat the disease, which is in its early stages.

“For those who have been following, I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks.

“Although I was over the bronchitis and performing again at the Westgate Las Vegas, my attentive medical team ordered an MRI just to make sure that all was clear.

“The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my lung that needs to be removed. It’s sheer fortune (and a fantastic physician) that it was found so early.”

Rescheduled Shows

He has rescheduled a series of forthcoming live performances, but stated he would be returning to perform by mid-February for his long-running concert series at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

He added: “The doctors do not believe it has spread and I’m undergoing further tests to support their conclusion. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just rest and recuperation and I Love Lucy reruns.

“I’m eagerly awaiting until I return to my home away from home in Las Vegas for our Valentine’s weekend concerts.”

A Long Career and Personal Life

Manilow is currently in the 16th year of a concert series on the Las Vegas Strip. The singer has been in the public eye and came out as gay in 2017, after wedding his partner of many years, Garry Kief privately in 2014.

The duo were in a private romance for over 35 years. Recently, Manilow spoke about how important Kief had been to him during his explosion in popularity in the 1970s.

“When my fame skyrocketed, it was just overwhelming. And, you know, returning to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of problems if you, you know, you’re by yourself night after night,” he said.

“But I found my partner right around when it was blowing up. And I was spared from having to go back to those lonesome rooms. I had a person to share sorrows with or to celebrate with.

“I hope that aspiring artists don’t have to go back to those hotel rooms by themselves, because you can make poor choices. I never did. But it was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was joyful.”