Barry Manilow says he felt coming out publicly would have disappointed his fans, so he did not declare his sexual orientation.
The 73-year-old musician opened up about his personal life and a hush-hush wedding ceremony to his manager and long-time lover Garry Kief, in an exclusive interview with People magazine.
"I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything. 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," says Manilow.
The "Copacabana (At the Copa)" singer has been in a relationship with Kief for over 40 years and says he is a private person.
"I'm so private. I always have been," says Manilow.
The couple has stayed together for 39 years, all while kept his sexuality under wraps, who got married in a clandestine ceremony at their 53-acre Palm Springs estate in April 2014.
Talking about his Kief, Manilow says, "He's the smartest person I've ever met in my life - and a great guy, too."
The news of their marriage and Manilow's sexuality broke out the next year which the legend calls "a blessing and a curse".
To throw off the scent, he even stepped out and lived with once-rumoured love interest Linda Allen during his relationship with Kief.
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