Barry Manilow reveals he has lung cancer and reschedules Orlando and Tampa shows to undergo surgery

The 82-year-old singer has shared with fans that doctors have discovered a cancerous spot on his left lung that needs to be removed.

Legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow has announced on Monday December 22, that he has lung cancer and is being forced to reschedule his upcoming January shows to undergo surgery.

Manilow, whose five-decade catalog includes “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa),” said it was "pure luck" that doctors found the spot early.

Revealing the news to fans via social media, Manilow explained that he recentlywent through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks, so his doctor ordered an MRI out of precaution.

He explained, "My wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK. 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."

He went on to tell fans he now requires surgery to have the spot removed. "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."

The only follow-up is a month to recover and that means we have to reschedule the January arena concerts. I'm very sorry that you have to change your plans. Just like you, we were all looking forward to the January shows and hate having to move everything around."

Manilow was due to kick-off his farewell tour with concerts in nine U.S. cities, including a final Orlando performance at downtown's Kia Center on January 7, and a last ever show in Tampa at Benchmark International Arena on January 8.

The rescheduled concerts will take place in the same venues, with the Tampa show taking place on February 27, and the Orlando show on March 13.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new date.

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