Barry Manilow reflects on difficult recovery after life-threatening illness: 'Was killing me'

Barry Manilow has shared an update after battling lung cancer and a serious case of pneumonia that left him in intensive care.

In a preview for an upcoming interview on Good Morning America, the 82-year-old singer revealed that he is now recovering well, although the process took much longer than he expected.

"I'm doing good. I'm doing good," the singer told Connelly when asked how he's doing. "It took longer than I thought it was gonna take to get past this lung cancer thing."

Manilow said he struggled not only with lung cancer but also with pneumonia, which became life-threatening during his recovery. He revealed that he spent seven days in the ICU after doctors had difficulty controlling the infection.

Manilow added, "I didn't know about pneumonia. I was in ICU for seven days, because they couldn't grasp this pneumonia that was just about killing me."

The legendary performer first revealed his lung cancer diagnosis in December. At the time, he explained that doctors discovered a "cancerous" spot on his left lung after he underwent an MRI following weeks of bronchitis and a relapse.

"As many of you know I recently went through six weeks of bronchitis followed by a relapse of another five weeks," he explained on social media. "Even though I was over the bronchitis and back on stage at the Westgate Las Vegas, my wonderful doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure that everything was OK."

Doctors later removed the affected part of his lung through surgery. Manilow previously said the cancer had been caught early and that he would not need chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

However, recovery proved more difficult than expected. In February, the singer admitted he was still struggling physically and could not sing more than a few songs in a row despite rehabilitation efforts.

Despite the difficult months, Manilow is now looking to return to work. 

His official website currently lists tour dates running through January next year.