Music icon Barry Manilow opened up about his cancer diagnosis during his comeback show at Glasgow's OVO Hydro on Tuesday, June 9. The 82-year-old superstar had not performed since being diagnosed with lung cancer last December after doctors discovered a mass on his left lung when he visited his GP complaining of hip issues.
Beginning a run of UK dates that mark his return to the stage after he was forced to cancel or reschedule numerous US shows during his recovery, he took a moment to share a poignant update with his fans. Speaking about the moment he was diagnosed, he said: "After I got over the shock, you know what I did - I blasted The Beatles albums over and over and over. I did - until some guy said he was going to leave me if I didn't stop. And the dogs were hollering." The crowd laughed at his lighthearted anecdote.
He then became earnest: "But I was very lucky. No chemo. No radiation. And you know what they did with that tumour. They threw that f*****g thing in the garbage." The audience responded with rapturous applause.
He continued by thanking his fans for their support throughout his illness. "It's been a long ride, but you know what got me through it? Hundreds and hundreds of letters and notes and texts from people all over the world telling me that they were thinking of me, wishing me well, praying for me. If you were one of those beautiful people, really it was you that got me through those scary, scary times. I thank you all from the heart of my bottom," he quipped.
"I kept saying to the surgeons: 'Doctor, doctor, you gotta let me out of here. I've got my friends waiting for me in Glasgow,'" he said to ecstatic cheers. "I do love being here with you," he said sincerely. "...in here we have some great music. A couple of laughs. And we're all here for the same reasons - to love me," he laughed.
Barry's update comes less than a fortnight after he told the LA Times on Wednesday, May 27, that at one point he was "close to death" while battling the disease. He told the outlet: "They said at one point - I didn't hear them say this, but I heard that they did say it - 'We don't want to lose him.' It's all a total blur now. When they finally brought me back to my lovely room at Eisenhower [medical centre], I weighed 128 pounds."
He underwent a lobectomy to remove one of the two lobes in his left lung, a major operation that has fundamentally changed how his body functions.
