Barry Manilow 'marries' long time manager Garry Kief in private ceremony

The publicity-shy singer is said to have married Kief at his Palm Springs home

Helen Nianias
Friday 10 April 2015 08:21 BST
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Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow married his manager Garry Kief in a private ceremony last year, it has been reported.

Manilow, who divorced Susan Deixler in 1966 after a two-year marriage, wed Kief in 2014 in front of a group of 50 friends in 2014, according to the National Enquirer.

People magazine reports that the ceremony was a surprise, and that the group had been told they were being invited to Manilow's sprawling Palm Springs estate for lunch.

Manilow has been seen wearing a band on his wedding finger.

Some fans took the reports badly, with one commenting on his website: "Barry would not marry a man and that is definite he loves ladies".

However, the vast majority posted delighted messages on social media, with one fan writing: "If true bloody good luck to them. Is it gonna change him or his music, not at all. Happiness is what living is all about, and he has given us enough over the years."

Kief has been Manilow's manager since the 1980s and was also previously married.

Manilow, 71, has never discussed his sexuality and prefers not to talk about his private life.

The Copacabana singer has spoken in the past about struggling to adjust to life as a celebrity, which led to notorious tantrums. He told The Independent: "I found myself surrounded by people that I paid, who convinced me that this was the way to behave. And you know, I was never like that, but I found myself buying into it. It was all fear. I didn't know where the hell I was."

Manilow's representatives declined to comment on the reports.

Coming out: Better late than never?

Joel Grey, the Tony- and Oscar-winning star of ‘Cabaret’ came out officially as gay at 82. “I don’t like labels, but if you have to put a label on it, I’m a gay man.

After decades of speculation actress Jodie Foster, 50, used the Golden Globe awards to address her sexuality for the first time directly, saying that she had come out to everyone she had met, but regretted that celebrity disclosures were now commonplace.

Twice-married Clive Davis, chief executive of Sony Music who guided the career of Barry Manilow, revealed – aged 80 – that he was bisexual and had been involved with men for 20 years.

After ‘Time Out’ magazine outed him, Richard Wilson, the ‘One Foot In The Grave’ star, said at 78: “I didn’t mind – because I am gay – but I did think I’d better warn my sister, who had probably guessed anyway.”

Apple boss Tim Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011, disclosed in a ‘Bloomberg Businessweek’ article that he was gay. The 53 year-old described his sexuality as “among the greatest gifts God has given me”.

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