Barry Manilow Jokes Surgical Recovery Has Been 'Agony' Because He Has 'No Patience' and Wants to Be Back on the Road

Barry Manilow shared a video message to fans saying it's been "agony" not being able to go on stage

NEED TO KNOW

• Manilow announced in December that doctors had found a cancerous spot on his lung

• His single "Once Before I Go" is now a Top 10 hit

Barry Manilowis itching to get back on stage!

Amid his recovery to remove acancerous spot on his lung, the legendary singer, 82, is celebrating a new milestone:his song "Once Before I Go"is a Top 10 hit, extending his chart run to six decades.

Manilow addressed the accomplishment in a social media video message to fans, thanking them for their well wishes over the last few months.

"It's been a long ride and since I have no patience, it's been agony," he said. "But I am getting stronger. And I have great doctors and wonderful friends and family, but I am so looking forward to getting back on stage."

He continued: "What a time it's been. Hey, that's the name of my new album! It's calledWhat a Time. It comes out real soon and I can't wait to show these songs to you. So here's to another century of making music together, my friends. All my love and gratitude."

Manilow announced in December that he'd have topump the brakes on his farewell tourafter doctors found a cancerous spot in his left lung. He said at the time that his doctors believed it hadn't spread, and he would not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation.

He has since had to reschedule several shows, most recently on Feb. 20, when he pushed back all shows through March 17. His next show is currently scheduled for March 26 in Las Vegas.

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The "Mandy" singer said he'd been working out on a treadmill three times a day, but "still couldn't sing more than three songs in a row."

He recalled his doctor telling him, "Barry, you won't be ready to do a 90-minute show. Your lungs aren't ready yet. You're in great shape considering what you've been through, but your body isn't ready."

Manilow's song "Once Before I Go" hit the Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart on Tuesday, March 3, some 52 years after "Mandy" first charted in 1974.

"You know, with everything that's going on in the world, I wanted to check in and share some good news. In fact, it's great news," he said in his video to fans. "Our latest single 'Once Before I Go' just entered the Top 10 on the pop chart. How do you like that? I'm 100 years old with a Top 10 single on the pop charts… Like my grandmother once said, next thing you know, they'll be walking on the moon."

He went on to thankClive Davis, "for suggesting the song," radio stations for playing the song, and fans for requesting it.

Manilow previously told PEOPLE in September that Davis had been the one to tell him he should sing "Once Before I Go," which was previously performed byHugh JackmaninThe Boy From Oz.

"I've always loved it, but I was too young to be able to sing it truthfully," he explained.

Read the original article onPeople

byLiam Oneel

in

March 03, 2026

Barry Manilow Jokes Surgical Recovery Has Been 'Agony' Because He Has 'No Patience' and Wants to Be Back on the Road

Barry Manilow shared a video message to fans saying it's been "agony" not being able to go on stage ...

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Big payday ahead for RB Kenneth Walker III thanks in part to a soft RB NFL Draft class?

While it's hard to label a Super Bowl MVP landing a lucrative deal in free agency a shocker, there was definitive buzz in the agent and executive ranks that Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III will end up getting a deal that puts him in the top three or four highest-paid at his position, with an annual average value that could reach $13 to $14 million per season.

That's a number solidly north of the $9 to $10 million window that some were predicting prior to the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning run, and still north of the $12 million average that some agents were slotting him at heading into the combine.

The Seahawks aren't expected to use the franchise tag on Walker before Tuesday's deadline, paving the way for the running back to hit the free-agent market,ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Why the change of free agency fortunes for Walker? There are two main reasons.

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First, during the week of the scouting combine, New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey was very suggestive that the team would use the franchise tag on Breece Hall if they couldn't get a deal done by the tag deadline. TheJets reportedly followed through on Tuesday, tagging Hall.

That was at least a surprise, taking the best running back aside from Walker out of the free-agent pool.

The second development in Walker's favor was the running back class being generally soft in this draft and disappointing with a lot of players at the position sitting out portions of workouts at the combine. While there were certainly some combine bright spots, Walker entered this week a winner, now being far and away the best free-agent option at his position and still having several years of prime left ahead of him.

byLiam Oneel

in

March 03, 2026

Big payday ahead for RB Kenneth Walker III thanks in part to a soft RB NFL Draft class?

While it's hard to label a Super Bowl MVP landing a lucrative deal in free agency a shocker, there was definitive bu...

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Grammy-Winning Blues Legend John Hammond Dies at 83

Blues guitarist and singer John Hammond has died at the age of 83

NEED TO KNOW

• News of his death was confirmed by Toronto blues musician Paul Smith in a Facebook post on Sunday, March 1

• "The blues world has lost a giant," Smith wrote in the post

Legendary blues guitarist and singer John Hammond has died. He was 83.

In aFacebook postshared on Sunday, March 1, Toronto blues musician Paul Smith shared that Hammond's wife Marla confirmed news of his death.

"Marla Hammond called me yesterday with the heartbreaking news that my dear friend John Hammond has passed away. The blues world has lost a giant. I've lost my best friend. My heart goes out to Marla and the family. Rest easy, John," he wrote.

Smith added: "I've just been going through the photos we've shared over the years — from the Horseshoe Tavern to Albert's Hall, from London to Montreal, to Edmonton to Ottawa — and each picture tells a story of great music, great people, and unforgettable nights." He was such an inspiration to me, I'll miss him terribly...."

According to a report fromBillboardCanada, Hammond died of cardiac arrest.

PEOPLE has reached out to Hammond's reps for additional comment.

Known as both John P. Hammond and John Hammond Jr., the late musician was the son of producer and talent scout John Henry Hammond Jr.

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Hammond began playing guitar in high school and dropped out after studying Antioch College in Ohio after a year to pursue his professional music career.

In 1963, he signed with Vanguard Records and his self-titled debut album featured music written by blues icons like Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Robert Johnson, as well as covers of tracks like Chuck Berry's "Maybellene."

Throughout his career, Hammond released more than 30 albums and he even won a Grammy in 1985 won a Grammy for his work on the compilation recordBlues Explosion, which was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982.

In the following years, Hammond received additional nominations for his 2009 album,Rough & Tough, which earned a nod for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Hammond also received Grammy nominations for albums includingYou Can't Judge a Book by the Cover(1993),Trouble No More(1994),Found True Love(1996),Long As I Have You(1998), andIn Your Arms Again(1995).

He was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame in 2011.

Read the original article onPeople

byLiam Oneel

in

March 03, 2026

Grammy-Winning Blues Legend John Hammond Dies at 83

Blues guitarist and singer John Hammond has died at the age of 83 NEED TO KNOW News of his death was confirm...

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