Barry Manilow is speaking out about his sexuality for the first time — three years after he secretly married his longtime partner and manager Gary Keif.
Barry says he decided to remain quiet about being gay for years because he didn't expect the news to sit well with fans. Turns out, it was quite the opposite.
"I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything," Manilow told People in a new cover story. "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."
Barry tied the knot with Keif in April 2014 in an under-wraps ceremony at their Palm Springs estate.
He and Keif have been together for nearly 40 years. They met in 1978, and Manilow says his life changed immediately once the longtime TV exec entered his life.
They kept the relationship under wraps for decades, however, with Manilow at one point even living with a TV assistant named Linda Allen who he was rumored to be dating.