RED FLAGS

Michael Bolton’s Kids Reveal How He Discovered Brain Tumor

His family said they missed so many signs that something was wrong until a night out bowling made them realize “something’s wrong with his brain.”

Michael Bolton’s daughters say a family bowling night tipped them off that something was seriously wrong with the legendary singer. In a new People interview, Bolton, 72, opened up about being diagnosed with glioblastoma, rare form of brain cancer, in late 2023. Just after Thanksgiving that year, he went bowling with his kids and grandkids. But he kept bowling out of turn, again and again, his daughter Taryn recalled. “That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain,’” she told People. Looking back, she said, the signs were already there: “We missed so many things.” Earlier that same night, Bolton suddenly fell out of his chair. And a few weeks before, while performing at a charity event in mid-November, Bolton grew nauseous and struggled to keep his balance. The Grammy-winning singer eventually went to the hospital after he suffered a “bad” headache over the same weekend, where an MRI revealed a tumor in his brain. Doctors confirmed it was glioblastoma, which affects roughly 15,000 Americans each year, after removing the tumor during surgery. The cancer has a recurrence rate of about 90 percent, but Bolton’s most recent scan in early April was clear. Bolton said his experience has given him a “heightened sense of appreciation” for life.