Barry Manilow: 'I never thought cancer would get me'
Barry Manilow did not think he would ever fight cancer because he is "too busy" with his music career.
Barry Manilow “never” thought cancer would "get [him]".
In December 2025, the 82-year-old singer-songwriter announced he had been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer after the disease was detected during an MRI after hearing about recent bouts of bronchitis, and Barry underwent a lobectomy to remove a "cancerous tumor" on his left lung.
Looking back on the health ordeal, the Copacabana hitmaker - who confirmed he is cancer-free three months later - did not think he would battle the disease because he is "too busy" with his illustrious music career.
Barry told the Los Angeles Times: "I never thought cancer would get me - it wasn’t in the cards.
"They wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible, so we made a deal: I’d finish the couple of weeks of shows that I had, then I’d go to the hospital, and they’d remove it.
"It was supposed to be a no-brainer - it hadn’t spread yet, thank goodness. But then my AFib kicked in, and acid reflux kicked in, and pneumonia kicked in. They rushed me to the ICU for seven days."
Asked why the Grammy award winner "never thought cancer would get me", he explained: "I’m too busy. Pretty stupid.
"What I realized is that I’ve always been the leader - leader of the band, leader of an audience - but I wasn’t the leader of this one.
"That was a big lesson for me. I had to rely on everybody else. Nurses, doctors, friends - you should see some of the notes people have sent."
Barry - who recalled a doctor saying they "don’t want to lose him" - said the impact of his cancer fight was clear.
The Mandy singer said: "When they finally brought me back to my lovely room at the Eisenhower [medical center], I weighed 128 pounds.
"I don’t remember ever being 128."
Barry was forced to postpone multiple concert dates so he could undergo an operation to remove a cancerous spot from one of his lungs.
He had originally planned to be back on stage in January but five months on, he has still not returned to the stage because his recovery has been taking longer than expected.
Asked what it is like to have not performed to a crowd for a while, the Can't Smile Without You artist declared: "Agony."
Barry continued: "Make an album, go on the road, come back, make an album, go on the road - that’s what my life’s been for years. And I like it. Now I just have to get better and do what the doctors are telling me. It’s the only way out."
Barry previously battled throat cancer following a diagnosis in 2020 but went on to make a recovery.
