Michael Bolton revealed earlier this year that he has been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer.
The legendary singer first announced to fans that he was fighting cancer in 2023, but for the first-time he revealed just how serious his particular form of the disease is.
His daughter, Taryn, talked to People, too, and she revealed that the singer displayed several symptoms in the days leading up to his diagnosis. One of the signs that she said was “super weird,” came during a bowling outing in 2023.
She said her father bowled out of turn three times.
“That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain,’”
she told People.
“Everything that happened was weird for him but not super alarming. When you look back at everything together … We missed so many things.”
She said there were other signs before the bowling trip.
“He fell out of his chair to the left, which is very unusual,” she said. “He’s super athletic, and he doesn’t drink. So he fell, and we were like, ‘What just happened?’”
Bolton eventually had a terrible headache that prompted him to go to the hospital. There he was given an MRI that showed the brain tumor.
“You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought,” Bolton told PEOPLE of his battle in this week’s story. “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.”
PEOPLE said that Bolton was first diagnosed with glioblastoma in December of 2023. He went through an emergency brain surgery in which his doctors were able to completely remove the tumor — something that reportedly does not happen often — and then had another brain surgery in December 2024 to deal with an infection.
PEOPLE said that Bolton undergoes MRIs every two months to ensure the tumor has not come back. His April scan was clear.
“Whenever you find yourself in any kind of challenging position, just to know that you’re not alone going through it is a big deal,” Bolton told PEOPLE, explaining that he has declined to receive his prognosis on purpose. ‘It actually helps people to know. It reminds them that they’re not alone.”
He told the site he meditates daily and golfs regularly, still works with a personal trainer, and still takes voice lessons.
“I find comfort in general more easily,” he said. “(The whole experience) gives me a heightened sense of appreciation. It’s unthinkable for it to be okay not to make the most of your life. 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 you.”
Still, knowing what he is up against, Bolton told PEOPLE he is concerned about how he leaves his daughters.
“How do I give things that they can take forward?” he said. “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. 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?’
“I want to keep going,’ he added. “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.”
