Michael Bolton’s daughter has shared the unusual symptom her father experienced, which eventually led to a cancer diagnosis.
In early 2024, Bolton informed his fans that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to undergo ‘immediate surgery’ towards the end of 2023.
The musician expressed his gratitude, stating, “Thanks to my incredible medical team, the surgery was a success. I am now recuperating at home and surrounded by the tremendous love and support of my family.”
He continued, “For the next couple of months, I will be devoting my time and energy to my recovery which means I’ll have to take a temporary break from touring.”
A peculiar symptom prompted Bolton to seek medical advice, leading to a diagnosis of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive brain cancer.
The incident occurred while Bolton was out bowling with his children and grandchildren, and they noticed the 72-year-old was bowling out of turn.
His daughter Taryn explained to People, “That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain.'”
She added, “Everything that happened was weird for him but not super alarming. When you look back at everything together … We missed so many things.”
At the time, his busy career led many to dismiss the symptoms as less concerning.
Taryn elaborated, “Is this stress? Is this sleep? 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.”
That evening, there were numerous warning signs, including an incident where Bolton fell out of his chair, which Taryn described as ‘very unusual’ for him.
Bolton’s neuro-oncologist, Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff, has been caring for him and explained to People that symptoms of brain tumors can include severe headaches, seizures, and muscle weakness.
He noted, “If all of a sudden you’re a completely different person, and people are like, ‘He never gets out of bed anymore. What’s going on? He doesn’t want to do anything.'”
The doctor added, “If somebody can’t move one part of their body, that’s never normal. Or changes in sensation. When they say, ‘I can’t feel anything anymore on my right side.’”
Bolton undergoes MRI scans every two months to monitor the potential return of the cancer, as glioblastoma is known for its ‘extremely high’ recurrence rate.
In April, Bolton’s most recent scan came back clear, indicating no signs of cancer.