Barry Manilow offered an update as he recovers from lung cancer surgery.
“[I] just got home from visiting the surgeon [at a] very depressing visit,” Manilow, 82, wrote in a Friday, February 20, statement shared via Instagram. “I told him that I have been using the treadmill three times a day (I have) but that I still couldn’t sing more than three songs in a row before I had to stop.”
While Manilow had hoped to “be able to do the arena shows in a few weeks,” his doctors advised against it.
“He shook his head. He looked at me and then he looked at the floor,” Manilow recalled. “He said, ‘Barry, you won’t be ready to do a 90-minute show. Your lungs aren’t ready yet. You’re in great shape considering what you’ve been through, but your body isn’t ready. You shouldn’t do the first arena shows. You won’t make it through.”
Manilow announced in December 2025 that he was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery to remove a “cancerous spot” on his left lung. He subsequently postponed his Las Vegas residency and latest tour in order to recuperate.
“Deep down, I wanted to go back. But, my body knew what my heart didn’t want to admit: I wasn’t ready,” he noted on Friday, revealing he was rescheduling his “first batch” of his arena concerts that were planned from February 27 through March 17.
Manilow continued, “He said I could likely do the Vegas shows at the very end of March, and the second batch of arena shows beginning in April. I’m so, so sorry I have to reschedule some of these first arena shows again.”
The musician further stressed that “when [he does] come back, [he] will come back.”
“In the meantime, and once again, thank you all for your wonderful notes and phone calls of support,” Manilow concluded. “The doctor said that my body had been through hell and that it needed time to heal. So, I’m going back to healing.”
Manilow signed his statement with “all [his] love and gratitude.”
The “Copacabana” singer revealed earlier this month that his lung cancer surgery had been successful.
“I want to share an update with you all. I’m doing great and recovering very well after my surgery,” he wrote in a February 4 statement. “I’ve been getting exercise and spending some time in the studio, which has been fantastic.”
Manilow was initially diagnosed with cancer after battling bronchitis late last year.
“As many of you know, I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” he wrote via Instagram in December 2025. “Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK.”
He added at the time, “The MRI discovered a cancerous spot on my left lung that needs to be removed. It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early. That’s the good news. 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.”
Manilow, who revealed his cancer was diagnosed in an early stage, stated that he felt “great” and had “no symptoms.” He previously battled throat cancer in 2020.
