EXCLUSIVE: Inside Cancer-Stricken Barry Manilow's Battle With Heart Problems — And the Terrifying Moment That Saved His Life

Legendary singer Barry Manilow has been battling lung cancer, but years before his diagnosis, he also learned that he suffered from an unsettling heart problem.

One day before Manilow turns 83 years old, RadarOnline.com revisits one of the singer's most terrifying health moments that could have cost him his life.

Back in 2011, the Mandy artist revealed that he'd been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it's a heart condition characterized by "irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm" that increases risks for "stroke, heart failure" and other related complications.

Manilow first discovered the concerning condition when he was driving home and felt his heart "skip a beat." Although he initially ignored it, the beating eventually became more erratic and he called his doctor.

"I think it did scare me half to death because, you know, ‘Really, my heart, there’s something wrong with my heart?’" he explained. "But he said not to worry about it and said, ‘It’s really good that you called us because that’s what you’ve got to do.’"

But another more serious incident occurred just before he was set to perform with the Boston Philharmonic for a 4th of July celebration.

"I went, ‘Oh no, not now, please.’ I took the medicine the way I was supposed to do and it just would not stop," Manilow recalled of the scary situation. "I called my doctor and said, ‘Okay, what do I do? I have a sound check at 2 o’clock.’ This was around 9 o’clock in the morning."

The doctor told him to get to the hospital immediately, where medical professionals had to fix his irregular heartbeat with a shock from "paddles," the Copacabana singer revealed in a resurfaced interview.

"They said, ‘Yes, Mr. Manilow, you’re in AFib, you’re out of rhythm and we have to stop it,’ which is the paddles, you know, ‘Clear!’ Bang!" he shared.

Later, he was able to make sound check where he "kind of staggered onto the stage," and "nobody" noticed that he'd had a health scare."

While Manilow was able to continue his day-to-day life as a performer, he warned that those with similar heart issues need to take it "seriously."

"Like I said, you are playing with fire. If you say my family has got more problems, well, if you do not take care of this, you are going to be a big problem in your family," he added. "At first, I kept my AFib private because I didn’t want to acknowledge there was something wrong with my heart. But now I realize a lot of my fans and so many others could be affected, so I want to do all I can to help them take it seriously."

He made similar comments while talking about his heart condition in an interview with Caregiver, claiming AFib "can go to some really nasty places" if not taken "seriously."

Although Manilow has done what he could to remain fit and health over the years, in December 2025, Manilow announced that he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer.

"You just don’t even think about [how fragile life is]. And suddenly, you have lung cancer," he told People in a March interview. "But I’m still here."