The singer tells PEOPLE she’s “all clean” four years after her diagnosis and explains how surviving cancer changed the way she approaches life and the stage
Credit: Sequoia Emmanuelle
NEED TO KNOW
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Taylor Dayne says surviving stage 2 colon cancer inspired her to advocate for early detection, especially for women
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The singer emphasizes the importance of routine screenings, sharing that she had no symptoms before her diagnosis
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Dayne’s cancer journey has deepened her connection with fans as she prepares for her first Las Vegas residency
Four years after revealing her colon cancer diagnosis, Taylor Dayne says she’s feeling healthy — and more determined than ever to encourage others to prioritize early detection.
“I go back very biannually for a colonoscopy and I will go soon enough,” the “Tell It to My Heart” singer, 64, tells PEOPLE exclusively of her health. “But so far, so good. All clean.”
Since undergoing treatment, Dayne says staying healthy has become a daily priority.
“I work very hard now on maintaining and on cutting edge things and really making sure my health is paramount,” she says.
The pop icon, who announced in 2022 that she’d privately battled stage 2 colon cancer, says the experience transformed her perspective and inspired her to become more vocal about the importance of screenings, especially for women.
“I really became such an advocate on early detection for women, really,” she says. “We don’t think about going in for a colonoscopy when we’re 40. No, man. And then I’m telling girls younger, I’m like, ‘In your 40s, go do it.’”
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For Dayne, the message is simple: don’t wait.
“Early detection will save your life, number one,” she says. “Especially look in my circumstance: it was like you have a two-week window. That’s how quick this thing was growing.”
She continues, “Those that we’ve lost to colon cancer — where you hear about it and then within three months, they’re dead. It’s this quick. It’s that aggressive. It can be.”
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Because she didn’t experience symptoms before her diagnosis, Dayne says routine screenings can make all the difference.
“It was a shock when I was first diagnosed anyway,” she says. “Not that I had symptoms. I had nothing.”
Instead, Dayne encourages people to take ownership of their health before there’s a problem.
“Be your own warrior. You must understand that you have to take charge of your own health,” she says. “The only way you can do that is by not ignoring things. You become your own general, I say. Your own soldier.”
The experience also changed the way Dayne approaches performing. The singer, who recently announced her first ever Las Vegas residency at Harrah’s Las Vegas, says surviving cancer gave her a renewed appreciation for connecting with audiences.
“When you now carry the story of trauma and survival within you and you break through that, you have a different awareness and consciousness of what life really means,” she says.
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Dayne admits she wasn’t initially comfortable talking publicly about her diagnosis.
“I didn’t at first,” she says. “I just couldn’t believe people were interested in this story.”
But returning to the stage ultimately helped her heal.
“The greatest thing I could have done for myself was walk and crawl back on stage to talk to the people that have given me so much — my fans,” she says. “They understood me better than I understood me.”
Now, every performance feels more personal.
“I saw every individual human being in every audience,” Dayne says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 2,000, 1,050 people. It becomes this very intimate relationship that you have when you’re on stage now, and every moment matters and counts. You’re grateful for it.”
Taylor Dayne’s Tell It to My Heart residency begins Nov. 24 at Harrah’s Las Vegas, with performances continuing through Jan. 2. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 31.
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