Barry Manilow opens up about losing his voice following lung cancer, surgery
As he prepares for his upcoming farewell tour, Barry Manilow knows something is missing.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Chris Connelly, the singer opened up about how being diagnosed with lung cancer and undergoing a left lung lobectomy has altered his voice.
"My voice -- I don't know whether it's coming back," the Grammy winner said in an interview that aired Monday on "Good Morning America." "I did my first sound check about a month ago and I didn't sound like me at all. I just couldn't believe that it's over."
He added, "That is really upsetting. Because I don't want it to stop."
The singer, who's known for his hits like "Copacabana," "Mandy" and more throughout a career that has spanned more than 50 years, said he feels like he's "taken my voice for granted."
"I don't take it seriously," he said. "Now I do, because it doesn't seem to be there the way it always was."
Manilow's cancer diagnosis was announced on Dec. 22, 2025, on his official website. The singer, who said he previously experienced six weeks of bronchitis, had just completed a Las Vegas residency and a five-night series of charity Christmas concerts in Palm Desert, California. He said his doctors ordered an MRI following his illness with bronchitis.
"They checked my lungs, and they found the dot, the spot, that thing that you don't want to, you don't want to ever have," Manilow said. "They said I had lung cancer and we have to get it out."
"It was just too heavy for me," he added.
Manilow said the "spot" was diagnosed as stage-one cancerous tumor in his left lung, which he underwent successful surgery to remove. His doctors said he didn't need chemotherapy or radiation, according to Manilow, but he contracted pneumonia, which landed him in the ICU.
Manilow said the experience was "terrifying."
"There was a couple of moments there that I thought this may be goodbye," he said. "But these people at this hospital, they were just angels, saints. I could cry so hard every time I think about these nurses and doctors."
Today, Manilow says he's "doing good," but said that "it took longer than I thought it was going to take to get past this lung cancer."
Ahead of his 83rd birthday on June 17, he's also reflecting on his life and career.
"Have I done everything I wanted to do? Have I been good to people? Have I made people feel good?" Manilow said he asks himself.
"That's all I ever wanted to do with my music," he said. "The thing that shocked me was all the people around the world being concerned about me. It was note after note after note about 'we're praying for you."
Earlier this year, Manilow's song, "Once Before I Go," which he released in September 2025, reached the top 10 of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song will appear on his new album, "What a Time," which will be released on June 5.
"I haven't had a top-10 single since Washington crossed the Delaware!" Manilow joked.
"I can't wait to get back," he continued. "I'm in great shape, I'm ready to go. I just hope my voice is there. If I sound good, that would be just great!"
"I really don't want to cry on stage, but I don't know whether I'll be able to hold that back this time," he added.
Despite his concerns about his voice, Manilow's upcoming performances remain on schedule. His first stadium show is set for June 25, and his next Las Vegas residency dates are scheduled for July.
