The iconic singer reveals that he was concerned about how his devotees would react if they knew he was gay.
- Apr 6, 2017
AceShowbiz - Barry Manilow talked about his sexuality and broke his silence on his secret marriage two years after his coming out as gay. In PEOPLE's latest issue, the 73-year-old musician got candid as he explained the reason why he didn't come clean about his sexuality until two years ago.
"I'm so private. I always have been," he said. "I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything ... When they found out that 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."
Of his marriage to his own manager Garry Kief, Manilow said, "I knew that this was it. I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that." However, dating a superstar was almost too much for Kief. "He was like, 'I can't handle this. It's not for me'," Manilow recalled. "I'm glad he stayed."
The couple has been together for 39 years. They tied the knot in a hush-hush ceremony in 2014. Before settling down with Kief, Manilow married his high school sweetheart Susan Deixler. "I was in love with Susan ... I just was not ready for marriage ... I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats - I was too young. I wasn't ready to settle down," he said of his first marriage.
