This’ll be a shock... I am gay
MANILOW COMES OUT, 40 YEARS ON
BARRY Manilow has come out as gay at the age of 73.
The notoriously private pop legend yesterday confirmed he is married to his manager Garry Kief.
Fans had long suspected the pair were in a relationship.
Speaking candidly about his sexuality and 40-year romance, Manilow told a US magazine: “I’m so private, I always have been.
“He’s the smartest person I’ve ever met in my life – and a great guy too.”
They have been together since 1978. At the time Manilow was a huge star known for hits including ‘Copacabana’ and ‘Mandy’, while Kief was a TV executive.
The singer said of their meeting: “I knew that this was it. I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that.”
Kief soon became his manager and is also the President of Barry Manilow Productions.
They tied the knot in secret at their Palm Springs home in April 2014 before a handful of guests.
Marriage rumours began to circulate but the couple never publicly confirmed the news.
Manilow feared his millions of fans would be disappointed if they knew he was gay.
But he said: “When they found out Garry and I were together, they were so happy.
“The reaction was so beautiful – strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ “I’m just so grateful for it.” Manilow was wed to his childhood sweetheart Susan Deixler for just one year when he was just 21 and she was 19.
But he said: “I just was not ready for marriage.”