“I’m very sorry that you have to change your plans,” the singer-songwriter wrote in a statement on his Facebook page on Monday, Dec. 22
Barry Manilow needs to hit pause on his farewell tour following a cancer diagnosis.
On Monday, Dec. 22, the “Mandy” musician revealed in a statement on his Facebook page that because a “cancerous spot” was found his left lung, he’d need to take a break from the road.
“We just finished five great Christmas concerts at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert,” Manilow, 82, began the statement. “This marks the seventh time we have done these charity concerts and raised millions for nonprofit organizations throughout the Coachella Valley.
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After sharing his gratitude for everyone’s support, he opened up about his recent health issues.
“As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” said Manilow. “Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI to make sure that everything was OK.”
He continued, “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.”
However, Manilow noted that the “bad news” is that he needs to have surgery to remove the spot.
“The doctors do not believe it was 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,” he said.
Manilow then noted that he’s “counting the days” until he can return to his “home away from home” at the Westgate Las Vegas for his Valentine’s Day weekend concerts.
“Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!” he added.
Manilow then shared the rescheduled dates from his farewell tour, which were supposed to take place in January 2026, which included stops in nine markets like Orlando and Tampa, Fla., and Columbus, Ohio.
“Ironically, I feel great and have no symptoms,” Manilow said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, which noted the cancerous tumor is stage one. “I’m thankful that my doctors were proactive and ran tests that typically wouldn’t be done. They caught it very, very early.”
In June, Manilow spoke with Billboard about his The Last Concerts series, which were slated for a handful of cities around the U.S. and how it made him reflect on his career, as well as his ’70s-’80s musical peers.
“It’s like, ‘What? Am I the only one left?’” he told Billboard. “It’s Billy Joel, and Elton [John] is not well and Rod [Stewart] and Neil [Diamond]. Diana Ross is still in great shape, I think.”
Manilow continued, “There must be only a handful of people in my world that are still there. I’m still healthy. I’m strong and I’ve still got my voice and my energy. The night I can’t hit the F natural on ‘Even Now,’ that’s the night I throw in the towel. But I can still do it.”
See the full list of rescheduled arena shows below.
Tampa – Feb. 27 – Benchmark International Arena
Columbus – March 6 – Nationwide Arena
Charleston – March 11 – North Charleston Coliseum
Orlando – March 13 – Kia Center
Sunrise – March 14 – Amerant Bank Arena
Greensboro – April 24 – First Horizon Coliseum
Jacksonville – April 27 – VyStar Veterans Memorial