Barry Manilow in September 2023.Ethan Miller/Getty Images Tap Here To Add Us Weekly As A Trusted Source Add as a preferred source on Google Barry Manilow has been open about his long history with cigarettes. "I smoked for 30 years. I started when I was 9 years old," the "Copacabana" singer told The Standard in 2012, revealing that he later quit before starting the habit again. Manilow eventually shifted to vaping. In December 2025, Manilow announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, for which cigarette smoking is the No. 1 risk factor, according to the CDC.