Barry Manilow appeared on Instagram on Friday to give his 118,000 followers a health update amid his lung cancer diagnosis.
The 82-year-old singer — who revealed his prognosis in late December — let his concerned audience know he's on the mend with a selfie. Sharing a photo taken in his hospital bed, the hitmaker captioned, 'Better Today!'
The top of his green hospital gown was visible in the picture as he rested with a soft smile on his face. Backup singer Melanie Taylor wrote a comment, 'That’s my boss y’all! He’s making it through the rain! Love you B!' and added prayer hand emojis.
And former Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum added, 'Heal up Barry, much love.'
View this post on Instagram
On December 22, Barry Manilow announced he is postponing his January concert dates after doctors discovered cancerous spots on one of his lungs, with the singer confirming he will undergo surgery in the coming weeks.
The 82-year-old Grammy-winning performer shared the update with fans on Monday, December 22, revealing that the cancer was found during routine scans following a prolonged bout of illness. According to Manilow, the discovery was made early and doctors are confident the cancer has not spread.
In a statement posted to social media, the singer explained that he had recently endured six weeks of bronchitis, followed by a five-week relapse, despite continuing to perform live at Westgate Las Vegas. As a precaution, his doctor ordered further tests.
“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,” Manilow said. “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.”
