Barry Manilow cancels his Las Vegas shows, hospitalized for bronchial infection
With fans getting concerned about the cancellation of Barry Manilow's three shows for the opening week at Westgate Las Vegas, it has been confirmed that the singer has been forced to cancel his dates after being hospitalized with a bronchial infection.
A statement on the 74-year-old singer's Facebook page read, "On the eve of a sold-out opening weekend at Westgate Las Vegas, singer Barry Manilow was hospitalized and diagnosed with a bronchial infection."
“I can’t believe this is happening, “ Manilow said. “Our new show is ready, we’re all ready, and we were all looking forward to tonight.”'
The Mirror reported David Siegel, Westgate Resorts’ Founder & CEO, as saying, "The entire Westgate family wishes Barry a speedy recovery and we know that he will dazzle audiences when his show resumes on June 21st."
It was confirmed that there will be full refunds for the show tickets or tickets could be exchanged for future dates, while all ticket holders can bring their tickets to attend a free Soundtrack show on Friday and Saturday.
In his absence, Clint Holmes and Earl Turner are performing their co-headlining “Soundtrack” show at International Theater at 8 p.m. as they scrambled to show up for rehearsals and sound check as soon as Manilow announced his cancellations.
Barry was earlier forced to cancel his show in 2016 after he was rushed to the hospital following complications caused by an oral operation, according to ABS-CBN News. He had also canceled two concerts in Los Angeles and Chicago to give rest to his strained vocal cords, in 2017. He was supposed to perform at the Forum in Inglewood, California and at Allstate Arena outside Chicago.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that "Manilow fell ill Wednesday night as he prepped for his “Manilow Live — The Hits Come Home” premiere set for tonight at Westgate Las Vegas’ International Theater. The pop superstar was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital and has been diagnosed with a bronchial infection and is being treated with antibiotics."
The singer is expected to be released in a few days, and return to his regular schedule on June 21, 22, and 23. The shows for the weekend were to lineup with his 75th birthday on Sunday. The singer has been suffering from a bad health as a tumor ruptured in his mouth in 1986. The singer had also opened up about his sexuality, as a report in the Guardian states, after he revealed that he got secretly married to his manager Garry Kief at their home in Palm Springs in 2014.