Barry Manilow Scheduled for Surgery for Lung Cancer.

Barry Manilow has revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer of the lung and will be having a surgical procedure.

Early-Stage Diagnosis

The 82-year-old singer, whose parade of upbeat chart-toppers from "Mandy" cemented his status as one of pop music’s enduringly popular showmen, will have an operation to take out a section of lung tissue in an effort to treat the condition, which is detected early.

“For those who have been following, I recently endured six weeks of a bronchial infection followed by a recurrence of another five weeks.

“Despite the fact that I was past the infection and performing again in Las Vegas, my attentive medical team insisted on an MRI just to be certain that there were no issues.

“The MRI detected a malignant lesion on my left side that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a fantastic physician) that it was discovered so early.”

Rescheduled Shows

He has rescheduled a string of forthcoming concerts, but indicated he would be on stage again by the February holiday for his long-running residency at his Vegas home.

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 chemotherapy. No radiation. Just rest and recuperation and I Love Lucy reruns.

“I’m eagerly awaiting until I rejoin my familiar venue for our Vegas run for our special weekend performances.”

Decades in the Spotlight

Manilow is now in the 16th year of a show in Nevada. The singer has enjoyed a career spanning many years in the limelight and came out as gay in 2017, after marrying his longtime partner and manager confidentially in 2014.

The couple were in a discreet romance for more than 35 years. Last year, Manilow discussed how important Kief had been to him during his rise to peak fame in the 1970s.

“As my career exploded, it was just overwhelming. And, you know, coming home to an lonesome hotel suite, you can get into a lot of difficulty if you, you know, you’re alone evening after evening,” he said.

“But I met Garry right around when it was taking off. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had a person to share sorrows with or to enjoy success with.

“I wish that aspiring artists don’t have to go back to those suites by themselves, because you might succumb to pitfalls. I never did. But it was quite isolating until I met Garry. And then it was fun.”