Barry Manilow has been candid about his health and how those setbacks have sometimes affected his scheduled concerts and performances.
RadarOnline.com can reveal all the details about the iconic singer’s health issues.
Barry Manilow Has Battled Vocal Cord Issues and Bronchial Infections Over the Years
Manilow confirmed his lung cancer diagnosis in an Instagram statement.
The Mandy hitmaker, 82, has dealt with health-related challenges over the years, including sprained vocal cords that forced him to postpone several shows in 2018.
“Barry is on doctor’s orders to rest due to sprained vocal cords,” a statement from Manilow’s team revealed at the time. “We are all very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”
The following year, he was hospitalized ahead of his residency at the Westgate Las Vegas due to a bronchial infection.
“I can’t believe this is happening. Our new show is ready, we’re all ready, and we were all looking forward to tonight,” he said at the time.
In May 2024, Manilow canceled another concert “under doctor’s orders” due to an unspecified health condition.
Barry Manilow Was Diagnosed With Throat Cancer in 2020
Manilow previously opened up about smoking for 30 years, beginning when he was 9 years old.
The Copacabana singer had another medical hurdle when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2020. While little was known about the health scare, Manilow later made a recovery.
In a previous interview withThe London Standard, he shared how he began smoking cigarettes as a child.
“Well, I smoked for 30 years,” he revealed. “I started when I was 9 years old. I grew up in Brooklyn. Then I stopped about 15, 20 years ago.”
Manilow continued, “Then I just started in Las Vegas and the band, and I went down to a little club, and somebody offered me a cigarette. And I was back. Within a week, I was back. Not on a pack a day, ’cause when I was really smoking, I was on three packs a day – non-filters. Oh yeah. I was a great smoker.”
Barry Manilow Endured Persistent Bronchitis Amid Tour
Manilow continued performing despite the health issue.
In an Instagram statement on December 22, Manilow told fans he “went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks.”
The I Made It Through the Rain singer had just finished Christmas concerts at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert when he wrote the statement.
Barry Manilow Confirmed Lung Cancer Diagnosis
The singer said the cancer was found ‘so early.’
According to Manilow, his doctors ordered an MRI amid his bout with bronchitis “just to make sure that everything was OK.”
“The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed,” he wrote. “It’s just pure luck (and a great doctor!) that it was found so early. That’s the good news.”
Manilow is reportedly “going into surgery to have the spot removed,” adding, “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.”
As a result, he had to reschedule the January shows of his Christmas A Gift of Love concert series.
