Michael Bolton opens up about brain cancer battle: ‘Succumbing to the challenge is not an option’

Key Points

• Michael Bolton is sharing details of his battle with brain cancer.

• The two-time Grammy winner was diagnosed with glioblastoma in December 2023, which affects his short-term memory, speech, and mobility.

• “I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side,” he says.

Michael Bolton is opening up about his ongoing battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

During an emotional cover story interview with PEOPLE, the two-time Grammy winner revealed that he was diagnosed with glioblastoma in December 2023 and, since beginning treatment, has experienced deficits with his short-term memory, speech, and mobility.

“You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought,” Bolton said of his battle with the disease. “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.”

Glioblastoma is a type of cancer that grows in the brain and spinal cord, per the Mayo Clinic. The cancerous cells grow quickly to invade and attack healthy cells. While treatment can reduce symptoms and slow the growth of cancer cells, there is no cure.

Bolton first revealed that he was fighting cancer in January 2024, announcing that just before the holidays, he underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Offering further details, Bolton shared that, at the time, doctors were able to remove the tumor in its entirety. He underwent a second surgery the following month due to an infection.

The “To Love Somebody”  singer continued radiation and chemotherapy treatments until October 2024 and now undergoes MRIs every two months, due to glioblastoma’s high recurrence rate. Though Bolton has not been given a prognosis, he told the outlet that he remains hopeful.

He added that in the wake of his diagnosis, he has a “heightened sense of appreciation” for life.

“It’s unthinkable for it to be okay not to make the most of your life,” he said. “I think we develop capabilities and problem management, and we learn how to make the best out of a bad situation. You have to be a cheerleader for yourself.”

Bolton, who shares three daughters — Isa, 49, Holly, 47, and Taryn, 45, — with his first wife, Maureen McGuire, also shared that legacy and how it relates to his children, has been a pressing issue as of late.

“How do I give things that they can take forward? Life lessons, love, any kind of validation that I can give [them] — I want to be on the right side of that so they feel great about who they are,” he said. “It’s a reality of mortality. Suddenly a new light has gone on that raises questions, including ‘Am I doing the best that I can do with my time?'”

His daughter Holly pointed out that even in the midst of his cancer battle, Bolton’s resilience was on display.

“He was in recovery in the hospital room singing within minutes,” she recalled of his December 2023 brain surgery. “I remember one of the nurses had no idea who he was, and she’s like, ‘Do you know he sings like this?'”

Bolton plans to continue turning to music throughout his recovery.

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

The singer has since shared the cover story with his followers, explaining why he finally decided to discuss his cancer battle publicly.

“Sharing such a profoundly personal chapter of my life hasn’t been easy,” Bolton wrote on Instagram. “My hope in sharing this part of my journey is that it might offer comfort to other families facing similar challenges, and perhaps even inspire those navigating their own adversity.”

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly