Michael Bolton Breaks Silence On Brain Cancer Diagnosis: 'I Want To Keep Going'

The Grammy winner announced in January 2024 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer that required emergency surgery.

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Grammy winner Michael Bolton is opening up about his 2023 brain cancer diagnosis, the surgeries that saved him and his ongoing road to recovery. Now cancer-free, the 72-year-old music icon reflected candidly on his journey in an People magazine interview published Wednesday.

“You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought,” Bolton told People. “Succumbing to the challenge is not an option. You’re really quickly drawn into a duel. I guess that’s the way you find out what you’re made of.”

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The beloved baritone announced in January 2024 that he had to cancel his then-upcoming tour dates, as he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor just before the prior holiday season — and had undergone a successful emergency surgery to remove it.

“He was in recovery in the hospital room singing within minutes,” Bolton’s daughter Holly told People about the sudden procedure. “I remember one of the nurses [at the hospital] had no idea who he was, and she’s like, ‘Do you know he sings like this?’”

Bolton’s neuro-oncologist Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff told People that they managed to remove Bolton’s glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, in its entirety — and that the success rate for this type of delicate surgery is only around 30% to 40%.

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Things took another turn in January 2024, however, when Bolton required a second brain surgery following an infection. He has since completed his radiation and chemotherapy treatments and has spent the last six months recovering at his home in Westport, Connecticut.

Bolton, seen here in 2017, underwent emergency surgery just before the holidays in 2023.

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The recurrence rate for glioblastomas is extremely high; however, Bolton said he now gets regular MRI scans every two months. The singer’s latest checkup occurred earlier this month and shows no signs of a new tumor.

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The singer-songwriter, who has sold more than 75 million records and won two Grammys over the course of his 50-year career, said that he’s speaking publicly about his health scare because “it helps people” — and “reminds them that they’re not alone.”

Bolton said he has experienced “a heightened sense of appreciation” from the ordeal, and that not making the most of his life now seems plainly “unthinkable.” He added that this effort ultimately requires one “to be a cheerleader for yourself.”

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“I want to keep going,” Bolton told the outlet. “I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side. I got a title for a song: ‘Ain’t Going Down Without a Fight.’”

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