Gay Icon, Singer-Songwriter, Barry Manilow Reschedules “Christmas: A Gift of Love” Tour – Announces Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Six weeks after bronchitis and a relapse, Manilow, one of the top Billboard artists of all time, announced his upcoming surgery and plans to reschedule the tour.
Featured Image: photo by Taylor Hill via Getty Images
On Monday, six weeks after bronchitis and a 5-week relapse, and days after finishing his charity concert series at McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, Barry Manilow received a lung cancer diagnosis and announced the rescheduling of his “Christmas: A Gift of Love” Concert Series tour.
“It’s pure luck (and a great doctor) that it was found so early. That’s the good news,” the Brooklyn-born singer posted on Instagram. “… The doctors do not believe it has 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.”
Manilow, now 82, rose to fame in the 1970s with hit songs like “Could It Be Magic,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana.” Over the decades, he has earned 15 Grammy noms (winning once) as a producer, arranger and performer. His producing creds include Grammy-nominated albums for Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, and Sarah Vaughan. As a solo artist, he has sold more than 85 million records worldwide.
With an intergenerational fanbase and platinum success, Manilow’s appeal has been enduring—from pop songs familiar to attendees of school dances and concerts in the 70s and 80s, to his remixes in the 90s; and continued reinvention, tours, plus a longstanding residency in Vegas (having signed a lifetime agreement in 2024). Among his most famous lyrics:
I write the songs that make the whole world sing
I write the songs of love and special things
I write the songs that make the young girls cry
I write the songs, I write the songs
While he was adored by young girls across the globe (and may have indeed made them cry), many admirers during his explosive career sensed that he was gay, and he later said as much. “I think everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years,” he told CNN’s Chris Wallace in a 2017 interview, after publicly coming out at the age of 73. He told Wallace that “the public was not ready for anybody to come out” as gay in the 1970s.
“Now being gay is no big deal,” he added. “Back in the 70s it would have killed a career.”
Manilow has been in a relationship with his manager, Garry Kief, for 40 years. They married in 2014.
Manilow with his husband, Garry Kief
Manilow is expected to have surgery for the stage one tumor later this month, followed by one month of prescribed recovery.
He was scheduled to perform 10 concerts in January across a handful of states. Those events have been rescheduled, and with the optimism he is known for, he’s assured loyal fans: “Something tells me that February weekend is going to be one big party!”
GO joins the LGBTQ+ community and fans across the globe, in wishing Barry Manilow the best for the holidays and a speedy recovery.
