Beloved crooner Barry Manilow has suffered a heart attack scare, which has friends and fans fearing the worst!
The popular singer, who has sold over 80 million records worldwide, is languishing from atrial fibrillation and irregular heartbeat that could lead to a stroke, The National ENQUIRER can exclusively report.
“This was the worst episode yet!” an insider dished to The ENQUIRER. “He feared he was having a heart attack. He and his husband were terrified, and that’s why he went to Cedars-Sinai for the best treatment and doctors available.”
PHOTOS: Celebrity Death Watch: The Stars That We Almost Lost In 2015!
Barry, 72, whose incredible career has spanned more than 40 years, required emergency care on Oct. 17 when he began experiencing heart palpitations in Palm Springs. He was then airlifted for life-saving treatment to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Barry, who was nominated for his 15th Grammy Award last month and has had three No. 1 singles — including “Mandy” and “Looks Like We Made It” — wed his manager boyfriend, Garry Kief, 66, last year.
Thankfully, he seems to have made a miraculous recovery after performing in California, but the Tony-winning singer has agreed to slow down and take a hiatus from touring, claimed the source.
PHOTOS: Elton John Rolls Through Disneyland — In A Wheelchair!
In 2004, Barry was rushed to a Palm Springs hospital after suffering from high fibrillation. The chest pain was apparently triggered by two intense days of arbitration over a dispute involving a stage musical that never made it to Broadway.
He publicized his health crisis in 2011 and has since worked to spread heart-disease awareness.
“I was driving home and I felt my heart skip a beat,” he told CBS News then. “Your heart skipping a beat doesn’t sound like it’s anything serious, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. And then it went blump-bla-bla-blump. And it got crazier and crazier. I felt like there was a fish flopping around in my chest,” he said.
But for now, Barry is doing just fine. “His heart is in great shape. In fact, he just finished doing five shows,” said one of his reps.
Barry made global headlines last April when The ENQUIRER exclusively reported he married Garry at his lavish Palm Springs home.
The ceremony was attended by 50 guests, who were tricked into thinking they’d been invited for lunch!
