Michael Bublé Says Son’s Cancer Diagnosis ‘Pulled the Curtain from Over My Eyes’

Michael Bublé performs at The O2 Arena in London on March 26, 2023. (Kate Green/Getty Images)

Michael Bublé says his son’s cancer diagnosis in 2016 altered his life.

“My son’s cancer diagnosis rocked my world,” he told Steven Bartlett during his appearance on an episode of the Diary of a CEO podcast.

“It pulled the curtain from over my eyes... And that was a sledgehammer to my reality. And I will never be carefree again, and that’s okay.

“It is a privilege for me to exist, and that pain, the fear, the suffering that comes with those sorts of things is, I guess, it’s part of that beautiful, this life.”

The 48-year-old Grammy-winning singer and songwriter opened up about his 10-year-old son Noah’s liver cancer diagnosis and how it prompted him to shift his priorities.

Mr. Bublé told Mr. Bartlett that he believed he was “going through a crisis” at the time.

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“I don’t think I had my priorities straight,” he said. “My family was always my love. I don’t think I was a terrible guy. It was blinders. Career. Ambition. How do I become the baddest, biggest, best? You know, more ego, more power, more money.

“And Halloween, however many years ago that was, life was lived with like a curtain in front me, like a filter, and the moment that they said this is what’s happening, that reality hit me,” the Canadian singer continued.

“Filter gone. Filter gone. And I mean in a moment, in one moment, gone. And I went, ‘Okay, this is it. This is life. This is it; this is what’s important.”

Mr. Bublé told Mr. Bartlett that there was no time to process the information; he just knew that his priorities had to be “faith and family.”

Noah, who was three when he was diagnosed, has been in remission since 2017.

The “Valentine” singer and his wife, Luisana Lopilato, share four children, Noah, Elias, Vida, and Cielo. 

Mr. Bublé recalled standing in a bathroom stall and making a promise to himself for the future.

“I remember closing my eyes and saying to myself, ‘if I ... if we get out of this, I’m living a different life, a better life,’” he explained. “I want to be kinder. I want to be more empathetic. I don’t want that ego and false self to take over. I want to know how lucky I am.

“I’m a lucky man,” he said. “Just look at my wife, it’s like, how did that happen? How did I get this incredible human being, who is the best of all of us, to lead me through and carry me through these things?”

In previous interviews, Mr. Bublé has described his son’s diagnosis as the “worst possible thing that you could hear as a parent, maybe as a human being,” People reported.

He told the outlet that the experience has taught him to “truly feel joy, gratitude and happiness.”

“My grandpa used to say, ‘Today’s curse is tomorrow’s blessing,’” he said.

“Even though for some of us who have lost so much these last few years, whether it’s our jobs or our loved ones, it doesn’t all come with negative connotations. There’s always a silver lining to that cloud.”

Latest Venture

Earlier this year, the singer took on a new venture with the launch of his North American whiskey called Fraser & Thompson. Mr. Bublé partnered with Master Distiller and Blender Paul Cirka to create the new whiskey.

Fraser & Thompson is a nod to an area in his hometown in Canada.

“I spent many summers with my grandfather at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in British Columbia,” said Mr. Bublé, according to Dallas Culturemap.

“When I heard Paul’s vision for creating a new kind of whiskey, I knew instantly what I wanted to call it. For the last three years, we worked together to perfect a whiskey blend that is equally elegant and approachable.”