Millions of adoring female fans are in disbelief this morning after People Magazine published an exclusive interview with superstar singer Barry Manilow who revealed that he is a homosexual.
According to the gossip outlet, the “Copacabana” crooner has been with his partner Garry Kief for 38 years but the two made it official in 2014. Kief, a former ABC Television executive, became Manilow’s manager soon after they met in 1978.
“I knew that this was it,” Manilow told the magazine. “I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that.”
Along with being Manilow’s manager, Kief is President of Barry Manilow Productions.
“He’s the smartest person I’ve ever met in my life — and a great guy, too,” Manilow says.
As People reports, “[T]he couple has stayed together for 39 years, all while remaining mum on his sexuality — an open secret to some in his long-devoted, mostly female fan base, a shock to others — and even stepping out and living with once-rumored love interest Linda Allen during his relationship with Kief.”
Manilow admits he’s always been hesitant to discuss the relationship — and to come out publicly, even after he finally married Kief in a clandestine ceremony at their 53-acre Palm Springs estate in April 2014.
In 2015, news of their marriage and Manilow’s sexuality made headlines, something the legend calls “a blessing and a curse.”
Considering his fans, “I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” says Manilow. Turns out, “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.”
Manilow’s female fan base may also be shocked to find out that another beloved piano legend is also gay:
And the hits keep on comin’…
