The “Copacabana” singer revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in December and underwent a lobectomy.

Barry Manilow postpones Kentucky concert last-minute amid lung cancer recovery

The “Copacabana” singer revealed that he was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer in December and underwent a lobectomy.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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August 5, 2026 2:39 p.m. ET

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Barry Manilow. Credit:

- Barry Manilow postponed his Aug. 4 show in Lexington, Kentucky last minute “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

- The 83-year-old singer announced in December 2025 that he was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.

- Since, Manilow has undergone a lobectomy and suffered from a life-threatening bout of pneumonia.

Barry Manilow rescheduled one of his concerts last-minute months after revealing a lung cancer diagnosis.

The “Copacabana” hitmaker announced on Tuesday that he would be rescheduling a performance slated to take place that evening. “Due to unforeseen circumstances tonight’s show in Lexington has been rescheduled,” he posted on Instagram about the Rupp Arena show.

A Facebook update for the venue noted, “All previously purchased tickets will be honored at the new date once it is announced.”

* *contacted reps for Manilow and did not receive an immediate response.

According to Manilow’s The Last Concerts tour schedule, up next is a show at Cincinnati’s Heritage Bank Center on Aug. 5, followed by an Aug. 7 performance at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, among other shows.

Barry Manilow at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in July 2025.

Mat Hayward/Getty

The 83-year-old artist has been open about his health this past year after receiving shocking news. The singer told fans in December 2025 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had to reschedule several concert dates as a result.

After becoming ill with bronchitis, recovering and returning to the stage last fall, “my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK,” Manilow said at the time.

“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.”

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In late December, Manilow underwent a lobectomy to remove one of the lobes of his lungs. “I don’t remember it, thank goodness, because it was a nightmare,” he told PEOPLE in March of his hospital visit for the procedure. “I’m one of the lucky ones; I don’t have to have chemo, radiation and all that stuff.”

The experience made him reassess his life. “You just don’t even think about [how fragile life is]. And suddenly, you have lung cancer,” he added at the time.

“But I’m still here. I’m not all here; there’s part of me that isn’t here — they took out a part of me, and now I’ve got to figure out, ‘What do I do?’”

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“This made me stop and think about: ‘Have I done what I wanted to do, and have I made people happy? Have I been a good friend?’ All of those cornball things that I’ve read for all of my life, I started to think about that, too. It really did stop me in my tracks,” he continued.

Barry Manilow at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit in June 2025.

Scott Legato/Getty

Months later, Manilow sat down with *Good Morning America*’s Chris Connelly in June to discuss his recent health issues, which included a bout of life-threatening pneumonia. “I was in ICU for seven days, because they couldn’t grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me,” he revealed.

“It was terrifying. There were a couple of moments there that I thought, you know, this may be goodbye,” Manilow added. “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.”

He also spoke about whether or not he thinks his voice will be back to what it once was after the lung cancer diagnosis. I’ve always taken my voice for granted. I don’t take it seriously,” Manilow admitted. “Now I do, because it doesn’t seem to be there the way it always was.”

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