Barry Manilow has postponed further dates of his Las Vegas residency as he continues recovering from stage 1 lung cancer. The singer confirmed he will not return to the stage in May 2026, extending a run of cancelled performances that began earlier this year.
Manilow, 82, first revealed his diagnosis in December 2025 and has not performed live since. He had already cancelled Las Vegas shows in February, along with arena tour launch dates in February and March, followed by additional April performances.
May Las Vegas shows cancelled
In an update shared via his socials, Manilow said his recovery is progressing but he is not yet ready to resume shows at Westgate Las Vegas.
“Good news! I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I’m making great progress and look great. Well of course I do! Thank you very much! All the training and exercising I’ve put in is paying off.
“He did say, however, that I’m not quite ready for Vegas. That means I won’t be able to return for our May shows at [Westgate Las Vegas].”
UK arena tour still planned for June
Despite the delay in Las Vegas, Manilow said he expects to return to performing in time for his scheduled UK arena dates in June, with a Las Vegas comeback now targeted for July.
“But the good news is he said I will be ready for my June arena shows in the UK. It’s going to be great to see you all in the UK. Westgate Las Vegas is my home away from home…and I’ll see you all in July. In the meantime…come to the UK! We’ll be there in June and hope you will be too! See you then… Barry.”
‘Waiting is agony’ during recovery
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Manilow described the frustration of being unable to return to full performance fitness.
“I am still not there yet … I’m not totally healed. The doctors said that it would take a while, but I have no patience and waiting is agony.
“For my voice to come back, for my breathing to come back. It’s driving me nuts. I tried to sing my show, but I have not been able to make it to the end without getting so winded that I have to stop. I haven’t been able to do 90 minutes yet.
“I am getting closer and the doctors say it will come back, but they say: ‘Barry, you’ve been through hell. Ease up!’ And I have never heard a doctor say that, so it must have been more difficult than I thought.”
Early diagnosis credited with saving his life
Manilow previously told People that his cancer was detected early following a precautionary scan, despite showing no obvious symptoms at the time.
“If he [the doctor] hadn’t done that [ordered the scan], man … He saved my life, because there’s no symptoms for what I had.
“I could go on, nothing hurt – but they found the dot in my lung. They called me and said: ‘Could be cancer.’ That’s a bad word.
“Not me. F*** you. I can’t have cancer’ …
“They don’t even know how long I had this thing sitting on me. It could have been years. If it had gone any further, then I would be up s*** creek. It just so happened that it hadn’t spread, and boy oh boy, I thought I might be dying.”
Manilow remains focused on returning to the stage later this year, with UK performances expected to mark his first shows since his diagnosis.
