Barry Manilow to Undergo Surgery for Lung Cancer.

Barry Manilow announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer of the lung and will undergo surgery.

Spot Found in Initial Phase

The 82-year-old singer, known for a string of beloved anthems from "Copacabana" has made him one of pop music’s enduringly popular performers, will have surgery to extract a portion of his lung in an effort to treat the disease, which is in its early stages.

“As my fans are aware, I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a return of another five weeks.

“Although I was past the infection and performing again at the Westgate Las Vegas, my excellent physician ordered an MRI just to be certain that everything was OK.

“The MRI discovered a malignant lesion on my lung that requires removed. It’s sheer fortune (and a great doctor) that it was found so early.”

Rescheduled Shows

He has rescheduled a number of upcoming shows, but stated he would be on stage again by Valentine’s Day for his enduring residency in Las Vegas.

He continued: “The physicians do not believe it has metastasized and I’m taking tests to confirm their diagnosis. So, that’s it. No chemo. No radiation. Just chicken soup and favorite shows.

“I’m counting the days until I come back to my home away from home at the Westgate Las Vegas for our special weekend performances.”

A Long Career and Personal Life

Manilow is now in the 16th year of a concert series at the Westgate Las Vegas. The singer has enjoyed a career spanning many years in the spotlight and revealed he is gay in 2017, after wedding his manager and long-term partner privately in 2014.

The duo were in a discreet romance for over 35 years. Recently, Manilow reflected on how vital his partner had been to him during his explosion in popularity in the 1970s.

“When my fame skyrocketed, it was just hectic. And, you know, coming home to an empty hotel room, you can land in a lot of difficulty if you, you know, you’re by yourself repeatedly,” 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 empty hotel rooms. I had a partner to be vulnerable with or to enjoy success with.

“I hope that young people don’t have to go back to those rooms by themselves, because you get yourself in trouble. I never did. But it was very solitary until I met Garry. And then it was fun.”