New York singer Barry Manilow, 82, announced on Monday, December 22, that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will have to undergo surgery, which has led him to reschedule several concerts he had planned for the month of January.
In a statement released on his social networks, the interpreter of hits such as ‘Copacabana’ and ‘Mandy’ explained that he received the diagnosis by chance after spending several weeks with respiratory problems.
Barry Manilow’s official press release
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“As many know, I recently spent six weeks with bronchitis, followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” Barry Manilow said, adding that despite having recovered and returned to the stage, his doctor ordered an MRI to make sure all was well.
The test detected “a cancerous spot” in his left lung which, according to doctors, must be removed.
“It’s pure luck – and a great doctor – that it was found so early,” said the artist, who stressed that specialists do not believe the cancer has spread.
“There will be no chemo or radiation. Just chicken soup and ‘I Love Lucy’ reruns,” she joked on Instagram.
Barry Manilow will undergo surgery at the end of December and will have to spend approximately one month recovering after the surgery, which means that the concerts he had scheduled in the United States for January will be postponed to February and April.
The singer apologized to his followers for the change of dates: “I’m sorry you have to change your plans,” he wrote.
At the same time, he assured that he hopes to return to the stage in February, coinciding with his traditional Valentine’s weekend in Las Vegas, where he maintains a permanent residence.
The artist also took the opportunity to wish his followers happy holidays and encouraged everyone to undergo medical check-ups “at the slightest symptom”.
Barry Manilow rose to international fame in the 1970s thanks to a string of hits that made him one of the most popular figures in American pop.
Among those hits are ‘Mandy’, ‘Copacabana’ and ‘Can’t Smile Without you’, with a melodic style that sold tens of millions of records and consolidated a career spanning more than five decades.
With information from EFE