Barry Manilow Gives Update on Lung Cancer Battle, Reveals Pneumonia Infection ‘That Was Just About Killing Me’

Barry Manilow recently sat down with Good Morning America to give an update on his battle against Stage 1 lung cancer, telling interviewer Chris Connelly, “I’m doing good.” Manilow, 82, revealed his diagnosis in December and underwent surgery to remove a cancerous spot from his left lung later that month.

He subsequently pushed back his planned February Las Vegas residency dates, then his February, March and April arena shows on doctor’s advice that he needed more time to recover.

“It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer thing,” Manilow told Connelly about his recuperation. “I didn’t know about pneumonia. I was in [the] ICU for seven days because they couldn’t grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me,” the singer added in the preview of the interview that will run in full on GMA on Monday (June 1).

In a social post in December revealing his diagnosis, Manilow wrote, “As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks. 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. 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.”

After previously pushing back his Vegas residency dates, Manilow again postponed his planned May shows as he continues to recover. In an Instagram Story on May 1, he said, “Good news! I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I’m making great progress and look great! All the training and exercising I’ve put in is paying off. He did say, however, that I’m not quite ready for Vegas. This means I won’t be able to return for our May shows at Westgate Las Vegas.” His Las Vegas residency at Westgate is scheduled to run through December 2026, and his farewell arena tour — dubbed The Last Concerts — has rescheduled a number of dates in the wake of his illness.

Manilow also confirmed that he plans to be ready for his June arena shows in the U.K.

In March, the singer’s new single, “Once Before I Go,” became a top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, making Manilow the only artist in history to score an Adult Contemporary hit in six consecutive decades during a run that has stretched from the 1970s through the 2020s. His first new album in 15 years, What a Time, is due June 5.

Check out the preview of the Manilow interview below.