December 23 2025, 08:15 
The beloved 82-year-old out gay singer Barry Manilow revealed his lung cancer diagnosis via Instagram on Monday. While the diagnosis compelled the singer to cancel the remainder of his seasonal “Christmas: A Gift of Love” concerts, which fundraise for numerous charities, he said he plans to resume his live performances in February.
“As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks,” he wrote. “My wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK.” The MRI revealed a “cancerous spot” on his left lung that will require surgical removal, he wrote. Though he added that it’s “pure luck” and “good news” that doctors discovered the spot so early.
Related
A trans woman secretly recorded her doctors during cancer surgery. She’s suing over what she heard.
“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,” he wrote.
He said that he will physically recover over January and plans on resuming his live performances in February, writing, “Something tells me that [Valentine’s] weekend is going to be one big party!”
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
Manilow didn’t come out publicly until 2017, when he was 73 years old, two years after marrying his long-time manager and romantic partner Garry Kief.
Manilow’s sexuality before coming out was somewhat of an open secret among his long-devoted, mostly female fanbase. However, he acknowledged at the time that his coming out might come as “a shock to others,” since he lived with television production assistant Linda Allen during his relationship with Kief.
Manilow said the music industry atmosphere kept him closeted for decades. “In the ’70s…it wasn’t the same as it is today,” he said. “Now being gay is no big deal. But back in the ’70s, it would have killed a career.”
He also said that record executive Clive Davis advised him against coming out, citing its impact on Elton John’s career.
Manilow’s “Christmas: A Gift of Love” concert series has raised millions for various charities, such as the HIV hunger charity AAP – Food Samaritans, the youth support coalition Boo2Bullying, California chapters of The Boys & Girls Club, the low-income healthcare provider DAP Health, the disability organization Guide Dogs Of The Desert, The Judy Fund against Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as numerous other human and animal shelter charities, and also the Manilow Music Project to aid music education in underfunded public schools.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.