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'I'm still here'

Music Icon Opens Up About ‘Nightmare’ Cancer Diagnosis

The Grammy-winning singer showed no symptoms prior to doctors discovering his illness.

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

PublishedMar 24, 2026, 1:31 PM EDT

UpdatedMar 24, 2026, 1:32 PM EDT

Updated Mar 24, 2026, 1:32 PM EDTPublished Mar 24, 2026, 1:31 PM EDT

Legendary singer Barry Manilow reflected on his emotional cancer journey, from the lack of symptoms to receiving a shock diagnosis and undergoing invasive lung surgery.

The 82-year-old music icon learned about his stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis by chance, following a visit to his doctor due to issues with his hips.

After the doctor learned that Manilow had recently fought six weeks of bronchitis, he ordered an MRI not just for Manilow’s pelvis, but also for his lungs.

“If he hadn’t done that, man... He saved my life,” Manilow recalled in an interview with People.

The doctor discovered a dot in Manilow’s left lung, and further tests proved it to be cancer.

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The Grammy-winning “Copacabana” crooner remembered being in disbelief because he had no symptoms or pain, thinking, “Not me. F--- you. I can’t have cancer.”

Since Manilow was symptom-free, it was hard to say when the cancer had begun to develop.

“It could have been years. If it had gone any further, then I would be up s---’s creek,” he said. “It just so happened that it hadn’t spread, and boy oh boy, I thought I might be dying.”

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Four weeks after his diagnosis, the singer underwent a lung lobectomy, known as the best option for early-stage lung cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. During the surgery, the doctor removes the cancerous portion of the lung, which in Manilow’s case meant removing one of the two lobes of his left lung.

Manilow recalled feeling grateful to not remember the invasive surgery or the seven days he spent in the hospital.

“It was a nightmare,” he recalled, adding that he still felt lucky not to have to undergo chemo or radiation.

Although the surgery went well, Manilow postponed his Vegas residency in February to focus on recovery.

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Reflecting back on his journey, Manilow said the diagnosis made him realize the fragility of life.

“It has really, really made me take stock of my life,” he shared.

“This made me stop and think about: Have I done what I wanted to do, and have I made people happy?,” he said. “Have I been a good friend? All of those cornball things that I’ve read for all of my life, I started to think about that, too. It really did stop me in my tracks. And the answers are yes. And as a matter of fact, there are more yeses than I ever thought.”

In response to a video of his interview posted to People’s Instagram page, fans offered words of sympathy and praise for the singer.

“Barry when you sing its just magic, we will always have your amazing music to listen too,” one wrote. “You listen to your body and only do what you are able to do and make it through the rain ❤️"

“Oh trust me, we know you’re in the world because you exude the brightest light and fill us with love and happiness. Take care of yourself Barry, you’re worth the wait,” another commenter said.

Now, the singer is cancer-free and continues to recover from the surgery. In June, he will release his 33rd studio album, What a Time.

“This really rocked me, but I’m getting stronger,” he said. “I’m still here. I’m not all here; there’s part of me that isn’t here—they took out a part of me, and now I’ve got to figure out, ‘What do I do?’”

Roosa RahkonenReporter, The Looker

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