Agony for singer Michael Buble as he’s told his boy, 3, has cancer
MICHAEL Buble has been left ‘devastated’ after his three-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer.
The singer and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, were given the heartbreaking news after taking Noah to the doctors with a suspected case of mumps.
Last night the star, 41, announced in a statement that he was cancelling all work engagments to be with his family.
Posting on Miss Lopilato’s Facebook page, Buble wrote: ‘We are devastated by the recent cancer diagnosis of our eldest son Noah who is currently in treatment in the United States.
‘We’ve always talked a lot about the importance of the family and the love we have for our children.
‘Luisana and I are going to spend all our time and attention to help Noah to get better, by suspending our professional activities for now.
‘During this difficult time, we ask that you pray for him and please respect our privacy.
‘We have a long road ahead of us and we hope that with the support of our family, friends, fans around the world and our faith in God, we can win this battle.’ The type of cancer he is battling has not yet been specified.
Last night the singer and his wife, Argentine model Miss Lopilato, 28, who also have nine-monthold son, Elias, were flooded with goodwill messages online from friends, fans, and fellow musicians.
The official Twitter account for Macmillan Cancer wrote: ‘We’re saddened to hear about the cancer diagnosis of Michael Buble’s son, Noah. We’re sending the family and their loved ones our thoughts.’
US singer Josh Groban wrote: ‘My family & I send all our love &prayers to @michaelbuble’s 3 year old son Noah as he fights cancer. Stay strong little guy.’
The toddler, who turned three in September, was originally taken to the doctors after suffering with mumps-like symptoms, according to Argentine website La Nacion.
Buble, a stalwart of the festive season, has made several recent public appearances, including on an episode of Desert Island Discs and his own Buble At The BBC showcase on Thursday night. Within hours of the diagnosis, the Canadian singer had cancelled all appearances and flown out of Britain to join his family in the US.
It is understood Noah was diagnosed after he and his mother flew to the US from their Buenos Aires home with concerns over his health.
The news comes just 17 months after Noah poured hot water all over himself, causing 6 per cent burns and narrowly avoiding the need for skin grafts.
During a recent appearance on ITV’s Loose Women, the Grammywinning artist paid tribute to his children for giving him ‘perspective’.
He added: ‘The only regret that I have in my life is that I took this long to have kids, because I had no idea the perspective it would give me.
‘I had no idea how much I would love being a dad. That’s it, that’s all I care about... I love them too much probably, if there was such a thing.It’s made every- thing else so insignificant, moments that I was afraid of and moments that would overwhelm me have now become a joy because I’ve realised how not serious they are compared to what is really important, which is Noah and Eli and that’s it.’
And in another interview he claimed he no longer defined himself as a pop star – merely a father.
He revealed that fatherhood had ‘allowed me to understand deeply that what I do for a living – creating music and art and getting to be part of a fragrance or a movie – is my job, it’s not what defines me.
‘What defines me is I’m Noah and Elias’ dad.’
Buble, who was recently announced as the host of the Brit awards in February, has sold over 55million records worldwide.
His family only discovered his talent for singing one Christmas Eve when he was 13 years old, singing White Christmas in the car.