In an interview with People Magazine, the Pop legend Barry Manilow opened up on his sexuality after hiding it for 73 years.
When asked why he didn’t come out before, he declared: “I thought I would be disappointing [my fans] if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.”
However, it turns out that “When (fans) found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy,” Manilow said. “The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”
In this interview, he publicly confirmed his relationship and marriage to his manager Garry Kief. The two have been together for nearly 49 years and got married in 2014, in a private ceremony.
Manilow said, talking about the first time he met Kief, in 1978, that: “I knew that this was it. I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that.” He also added: “[Kief] is the smartest person I’ve ever met in my life — and a great guy, too.”
The fact that Manilow was scared of his fans’ reactions to his sexuality, that he thought he would “disappoint” them, shows that we still live in a society where coming out is something extremely difficult, especially for someone as famous as Manilow who has always been very private about his personal life and who was scared of the judgement of his fanbase.
