By admin 
Introduction
News that Barry Manilow — long celebrated as one of the world’s richest and most successful pop entertainers — secretly married his male manager, Garry Kief, stunned many of the women who have adored the 71-year-old singer for decades. But while some fans reacted with heartbreak online — one post even claimed, “My mum can’t stop crying about Barry” — others were far less surprised.
For years, many suspected that the eternally tanned, disco-era icon might be gay, despite his repeated public denials. Fans and insiders alike long believed he avoided coming out for fear of alienating the middle-American, family-oriented audience that powered his 40-year career and helped him sell nearly 100 million records.
Manilow may have been privately conflicted himself. Over the years he was linked to several high-profile women, and in 1964 he even married his high-school sweetheart, Susan Deixler — a marriage that collapsed within 18 months.
Yet in the entertainment industry, Manilow’s sexuality has been an “open secret” since the 1970s.
Manilow and the charismatic Kief, now 66, have been together for more than three decades. Their relationship began after Kief saved Manilow from near financial disaster in the early 1980s, when he discovered the singer had just $11,000 in liquid assets and the rest tied up in disastrous investments.
“Barry! You’re broke!” Kief reportedly shouted.
Kief soon took control of Manilow’s business affairs, restoring his financial stability and earning his complete trust.
Their quiet, private wedding at Manilow’s Palm Springs estate — kept secret for over a year — is now making headlines around the globe. As his longtime publicist, Carol Marshall, coyly put it, “It seems like anything about Barry generates a lot of buzz.”
Rumors have indeed followed Manilow throughout his career. Loved by fans but often mocked by critics, his easy-listening style has inspired both devotion and derision. In 2008, it was even revealed that an American judge was sentencing loud-music offenders to an hour of Barry Manilow songs as punishment.
Speculation about Manilow’s health has also been constant. His thin, sometimes gaunt appearance has fueled repeated scare stories — all denied — that he was seriously ill.
Born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn on June 17, 1943, he is of Russian, Jewish, and Irish descent. His parents divorced when he was two, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, both heavy drinkers.
“I got through because of the music,” Manilow has said. “It wasn’t a fun time, and I really feel for kids raised by alcoholics. I decided early on I wouldn’t go down that path.”
His mother later revealed that young Barry wore makeup to cover a facial scar left by a childhood accident.
Still, no rumor has followed him more persistently than speculation about his sexuality.
When a Canadian interviewer once nervously asked if he was gay, Manilow firmly replied, “Well, I’m not. No, no, I’m not.” He then added, “I’ve been married.”
What he didn’t mention was that Susan sought an annulment on the grounds the marriage was never consummated.
His early singing partner, actress Jeanne Lucas, admitted she was attracted to him but confused when he showed no interest. A mutual friend eventually told her, “Darling, he’s not for girls.”
His long relationship with production assistant Linda Allen was similarly close but entirely platonic.
In 1972, Manilow became the pianist for Bette Midler, performing with her at the infamous Continental Baths — a gay bathhouse known for its wild, sexually charged atmosphere.
Manilow later wrote, “It was decadent, sexual, and shocking — all the things I wasn’t.”
He arranged Midler’s early albums, but their partnership was fiery, and they parted ways in 1974 as he launched his solo career.
Record executives sensed star potential in his smooth tenor and impeccable arrangements. They were proved right in 1975 when “Mandy” hit No. 1 in the U.S. and charted in the U.K.
Success brought new challenges. After one lucrative show earning over £500,000, Manilow was reunited briefly with his biological father — a moment witnesses say lasted barely a minute and ended abruptly.
By the late 1970s and early ’80s, Manilow experienced wild mood swings and bouts of paranoia, sometimes demanding that entire studios or restaurants be cleared before he entered.
As the hits slowed, his health plummeted. In 1982 he suffered severe bronchial pneumonia. In 1986, a tumor in the roof of his mouth burst; surgeons warned they might need to remove half his mouth. Much of the bone was removed, but his voice miraculously survived.
Health crises continued: a 1989 medical emergency mid-performance, persistent eye issues, repeated hospitalizations, and even a bizarre 2003 incident where he injured his nose after allegedly walking into a wall.
In 2003, he underwent a full facelift, emerging from the clinic disguised in dark glasses, a cap, and a blonde wig — unsuccessfully.
In 2004, he was hospitalized for stress-related chest pains due to an irregular heartbeat, and in 2006 he had surgery to repair cartilage in both hips.
Criticism also followed him. In the mid-1990s he sued a radio station for implying listeners tuned in only because it didn’t play his music. And in 2006, Australian officials blasted Manilow songs to drive away delinquent teens — a move he mocked, asking whether the teens might secretly enjoy his music.
In 2007, he canceled an appearance on The View rather than share a stage with conservative host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, saying, “She’s dangerous and offensive.”
Yet in recent years, critics have softened. Can’t Smile Without You enjoyed a resurgence after appearing in Hellboy II in 2008, prompting one reviewer to praise its “retro charm.”
His popularity has never truly faded. In 2008, he packed London’s O2 Arena three times due to overwhelming demand, with front-row tickets fetching up to £717.
Even at 71, Manilow remains a symbol of 1970s glamour — the sequins, the velvet, the glitter — embodying an era his fans still cherish. Millions, particularly women, feel a deep emotional connection to him, believing, in the words of his famous lyric, that they “just can’t smile” without him.
And it is unlikely their devotion will falter now that he has finally chosen to live openly, marry the man he loves, and acknowledge the relationship with the person who once saved him from financial ruin.