Barry Manilow’s Fortune Was Being Gutted by Parasites Until One Man Stopped the Bleeding.

Introduction

Behind the glittering sequins and the thunderous standing ovations of the late 1970s, Barry Manilow was a man being eaten alive. While the world saw a hit-making titan, the grim reality inside his counting house was a bloodbath of epic proportions. Manilow wasn’t just losing his privacy; he was losing every cent he had ever earned to a pack of industry vultures who viewed his talent as an open buffet. This is the harrowing, untold account of how the world’s most beloved showman was teetering on the edge of a catastrophic financial and mental collapse—and the one man who stepped into the line of fire to save him.

The “Who” in this financial horror story involves a rotating door of managers, accountants, and hangers-on who had systematically stripped Manilow’s accounts bare. By the time Garry Kief arrived on the scene in 1978, the “Manilow Machine” was a hollowed-out shell. The “What” was a looming bankruptcy that would have seen the “Copa” singer lose his homes, his royalties, and his dignity. Barry was an artist, a man of melodies and emotions, which made him the perfect prey for the cold-blooded suits of the era. He was performing sold-out shows while effectively being broke—a prisoner of his own fame who couldn’t afford the very lifestyle the media claimed he enjoyed.

The “When” marks a pivotal turning point in music history. In the early 80s, the chaos of fame had turned Barry into a paranoid recluse. The “Where” was a landscape of predatory contracts and high-interest debt. This is where Garry Kief transitioned from a “lightning bolt” romantic interest into a ruthless corporate shield. Kief didn’t just love Barry; he audited him. He fired the leeches, restructured the debt, and built a fortress around Manilow’s assets that no executive could penetrate.

The “Why” is the most poignant element of their saga. Garry Kief realized that if Barry lost his money, he would lose his ability to create, and if he lost his ability to create, the industry would discard him like trash. Kief saved Barry because he saw the man behind the “Mandy” mask—a man who was being driven toward a breakdown by the very people supposed to protect him. This wasn’t just business management; it was a rescue mission for a human soul. Without Kief’s intervention, the Barry Manilow we know today—the Vegas legend, the billionaire-status performer—would have been a tragic footnote in a textbook about celebrity exploitation. This is the story of how a secret love became a literal lifeline.

Video: Barry Manilow – Looks Like We Made It (Lyrics)