Barry Manilow, 82, admits that he fears his singing voice may be gone for good after lung cancer surgery

Barry Manilow revealed this week that his legendary golden voice may have been permanently destroyed by surgery to save him from lung cancer.

'My voice – I don't know whether it's coming back,' the 82-year-old crooner admitted during an appearance on Good Morning America on Monday.

Manilow, who spoke with a shockingly raspy voice, made it clear that he was now starting to lose whatever hope he once had of being able to sing on stage again. 

'I did my first sound check about a month ago, and I didn't sound like me at all,' he said. 

Manilow revealed in December that he was battling lung cancer, and later that month he had a lobectomy, in which a significant portion of his cancerous left lung was removed.

The hitmaker – who smoked from just nine years old until he was 39, then began vaping in recent years – shared in March that he was practicing to strengthen his post-surgery voice, even though he had 'no patience and waiting' for it to return was 'agony.'

But after his disappointing sound check, he was forced to consider the possibility that he would never be able to belt out tunes like he once could. 

'I just couldn't believe that it's over,' he said with a dazed look. 'That is really upsetting. Because I don't want it to stop.'

Manilow admitted that he had 'taken my voice for granted' after it helped him sing classics like Looks Like We Made It, Mandy and Copacabana (At The Copa) on stage night after night.

'I don't take it seriously,' he continued. 'Now I do, because it doesn't seem to be there the way it always was.' 

Manilow had previously recounted how he went to the doctor in November to have his hips checked out, but a recent bout of bronchitis led doctors to order an MRI.

'They checked my lungs, and they found the dot, the spot, that thing that you don't want to, you don't want to ever have,' Manilow said on GMA. 'They said I had lung cancer and we have to get it out.'

He recalled how the life-changing revelation was 'just too heavy for me.'

The surgery was seemingly a success, as doctors determined that the tumor, which was stage-one cancer, had been fully removed, and they said he wouldn't need chemotherapy or radiation while declaring him cancer-free. 

However, Manilow recalled the 'terrifying' experience of ending up in the intensive care unit (ICU) after developing pneumonia in the wake of his surgery 

'There were a couple of moments there that I thought this may be goodbye,' he said. 'But these people at this hospital, they were just angels, saints. I could cry so hard every time I think about these nurses and doctors.'

Manilow tried to look on the bright side and said he was 'doing good,' but he was still caught off guard by how long it took to recover from lung cancer.

Now, as he gets used to the possibility that his singing voice may have deserted him for good, Manilow is taking stock of his life to date ahead of his 83rd birthday on June 17.

'Have I done everything I wanted to do? Have I been good to people? Have I made people feel good?' he mused. 'That's all I ever wanted to do with my music.'

As if to answer his own question, Manilow said he was 'shocked' to receive 'note after note after note' from fans who said they were 'praying' for him in the wake of his cancer diagnosis.

Manilow added that almost everything was in place to help him get back in front of audiences and possibly touring again – except for his voice. 

'I can't wait to get back. I'm in great shape, I'm ready to go. I just hope my voice is there. If I sound good, that would be just great,' he said. 

But Manilow admitted that not being able to summon his iconic voice could make him a wreck on stage.

'I really don't want to cry on stage, but I don't know whether I'll be able to hold that back this time,' he said.

Despite his fears that this may be the end of his professional singing career, Manilow is still pushing forward.

In September, months before his cancer diagnosis, Manilow announced that he would be undertaking a farewell arena tour, and even though he was forced to cancel several tour concerts and Las Vegas residency dates due to his surgery and recovery, he still has upcoming shows on his calendar.

On June 9, Manilow is scheduled to kick off a UK leg of The Last Concerts in Glasgow, and he'll begin the US leg of his tour on June 25 in Reading, Pennsylvania, assuming he's able to coax out his voice again.

His next batch of Las Vegas residency dates are scheduled to begin on July 9 at the Westgate.