Barry Manilow has opened up about the emotional and physical toll of his cancer battle, after postponing his Las Vegas residency last month.
The 82-year-old singer was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer late last year, after doctors found a “dot” during a routine health check up.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Manilow admitted that he has been struggling with losing his voice following his cancer surgery, and there are moment where he thought ”’this may be goodbye'”.
“My voice. I don’t know whether it’s coming back,” he told reporter Chris Connelly.
“I did my first soundcheck about a month ago,” he explained. “And I didn’t sound like me at all. I looked at my band and they were all looking at the floor. That was the first hint something was not right.”
“I’ve always taken my voice for granted. Don’t take it seriously. Now I do because it doesn’t seem to be there the way it always was.”
“I just couldn’t believe that it’s over,” he admitted.
“It’s really upsetting. I don’t want to stop.”
Despite the challenges, the singer admitted that he was doing good following the surgery, saying: “It took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer.”
While the singer didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation, he did have a left lung lobectomy, which is when one of the lobes of the lungs is removed.
He shared a few details on his recovery process, saying that he ended up in the ICU after the surgery as he had pneumonia.
“It was terrifying. There were a couple of moments when I thought, ‘This may be goodbye,'” he admitted.
Manilow credited his medical care team for their hard work and dedication in helping his recovery.
Manilow is still scheduled to tour this month, with arena shows scheduled in the UK as part of his Last Concerts tour, followed by shows in Las Vegas in July.
Image: Instagram/ GMA
