He shocked fans when he announced on Instagram he has recently undergone a brain operation, but singer Michael Bolton tackling the disease head on and vowing to beat the odds as friends rally round him non-stop. 

An insider reveals, “Michael’s keeping an incredibly positive outlook about all of this and promising everyone that he will get through this and be back on his feet and back touring in no time, but obviously it’s a very scary situation. He’s getting the best care and is at home surrounded by family but it’s not an easy recovery, right now he needs a lot of physical therapy to get back up to speed. And, as well as the surgery went, there’s no way to guarantee that the tumour won’t grow back which obviously terrifies him. But so far he’s doing really well and making great strides, so the outlook is very hopeful.”

Last week, the 70-year-old told his social media followers a brain tumour was found just before Christmas that “required immediate surgery”.

He wrote, “Just before the holidays, it was discovered that I had a brain tumour, which required immediate surgery. 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.”

The Grammy winner said he would have to postpone a number of gigs as a result.

“It is always the hardest thing for me to ever disappoint my fans or postpone a show, but have no doubt I am working hard to accelerate my recovery and get back to performing soon,” wrote Michael, as he thanked his fans for their “love and support” through the years.

“Know that I’m keeping your positive messages in my heart, and I’ll give you more updates as soon as I can,” he concluded, signing his note, “Much love always, MB.”

“I am beyond grateful for all the love and support you have so generously shown me through the years. Know that I’m keeping your positive messages in my heart, and I’ll give you more updates as soon as I can.”

The insider said Michael feels lucky to have discovered the life-threatening in time.

“Michael’s counting his blessings right now, he’s been told that this could have been much worse if it wasn’t caught when it was, so he’s just incredibly grateful to his team of doctors. Not everyone in the U.S. has the kind of care he has access too, he’s very aware of that and not taking it for granted. It’s going to take time for his body to completely heal but he’s already making huge strides in his recovery and insists that he’ll be back on stage in a couple of months at the most. Of course, that will all depend on what his doctors say and how quickly he heals, but he’s determined that he’ll be back touring in no time.”

Michael’s music career kicked off in 1975 in the hard rock and heavy metal music genres before moving more into mainstream pop in the 80s. He has sold more than 75 million records, recorded eight top 10 albums and two number-one singles on the Billboard charts, as well as winning six American Music Awards and two Grammy Awards. Over the years, Michael has performed with artists including Celine Dion, Luciano Pavarotti and Patti LaBelle.

Michael – who has previously dated actress Nicollette Sheridan, who starred as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives – also said that in his early career, he took himself a bit “too seriously” and has since learned to appreciate humour and enjoy life more.

“The fun starts happening when you let go of things… I don’t feel like I’m near slowing down yet,” he said.

Over the years, the singer has lived a healthy lifestyle, and managed to avoid the bad boy rock n roll persona of some of his music peers such as Ozzy Osbourne. Insiders say his clean living has helped him in his recovery.

“He has a big advantage over a lot of people in his position because he’s always taken incredibly good care of himself, he’s never been one to abuse his body. He’s been a vegetarian for 50 years and he’s been fastidious about working out, plus he’s never smoked or been a heavy drinker, which would definitely derail his healing.

“All in all, he’s ahead of the game when it comes to recovering from this surgery. Right now, aside from the physical therapy, the biggest thing he needs to do is rest, and that’s what he’s doing. It’s hard for him because he’s normally so active, but he’s following his doctor’s orders and doing everything he can to heal up as fast as possible. He’s drinking lots of healthy green juices, taking plenty of vitamins and avoiding sugar like the plague right now. 

“He does have a real sweet tooth so that hasn’t been easy, but he’s very motivated to get well as quickly as he can, even if it means giving up ice cream. As horrible as this has been, he does seem to be taking it all in stride and isn’t wasting any time feeling sorry for himself.”

Last year the star opened up about sharing positivity in dark times through his album Spark of Light, which included the emotional single Beautiful World.

Talking about finding inspiration through the pandemic, Michael explained, “We were basically observing our friends and family and seeing that they all really needed some light, that it was so dark and oppressive and basically we were all just carrying layers of fear to our every day,” he said of finding inspiration through the pandemic. 

“And so we started to feel a sense of responsibility to deliver hope and promise and all these feelings that seem to be so elusive, and it started to become a feel-good record.”