A fiercely private person, Manilow opened up to the magazine People about his struggles especially when it came to being gay.
In the interview, Manilow said that he kept his sexuality a secret mainly for his fans. He told the interviewer, “I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything”. He was pleasantly surprised when they did find out. He said, “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 and his manager, and now husband, Garry Kief met in 1978 and they haven’t been apart since. Manilow says that when they met he “knew that this was it”. He believes that he “was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that.” Even through all the craziness of being one of the biggest stars on the planet they have made it work. They were married in a secret ceremony in 2014.
A beautiful story with a happy ending.
This article first published on Starts at 60.
