Michael Bolton was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023. Prior to that diagnosis, the famed singer, 72, showcased some symptoms that had his family worried that something serious was going on.
In an interview with People published on April 30, Bolton’s family noted a particular outing at a bowling alley when the Grammy winner bowled out of turn — multiple times. But that wasn’t all that happened. Bolton also fell out of a chair “to the left,” which his daughter Taryn Bolton called “unusual.” In that moment, the family wondered what was going on.
“That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain,'” Taryn told the outlet. “Everything that happened was weird for him but not super alarming. When you look back at everything together … We missed so many things.”
Also, during a show around the same time, Bolton experienced some other strange symptoms: nausea and balance issues.
“Is this stress? Is this sleep?” Taryn recalled thinking. “He’d been working nonstop that whole time. Traveling, doing shows, doing all of these things. We were like, he’s getting older, he’s tired, he’s stressed out. All of these things we sort of explained in a way, one by one.”
Bolton went to the doctor and was sent from an MRI. After identifying a brain tumor, he underwent emergency surgery and tests confirmed that Bolton had glioblastoma — an incurable cancer.
Patients with glioblastoma can be treated with radiation and chemotherapy, among other therapy used to “damage the glioblastoma cells,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
While chatting with People, Michael acknowledged the “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?'” he said, adding, “I want to keep going. 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.'”
