During a guest appearance on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the 80-year-old Copacabana singer said he didn’t think it was important to announce his sexuality during the earlier decades of his career.
Manilow came out in 2017, almost three years after he married his husband and manager Garry Kief in a private ceremony. The couple have been together for 45 years now, though they’ve kept much of their relationship away from the public eye.
When he came out to People magazine in 2017, Manilow — whose real name is Barry Pincus — worried he’d be “disappointing” some of his fans by revealing his sexuality. Instead, Manilow, who was 73 at the time, said the reaction from his fanbase was “beautiful.”
Despite his current feelings of nonchalance about his own coming out, Manilow said announcing his sexuality as his career was booming would have been a bad idea.
“Now being gay is no big deal,” he explained. “Back in the ’70s it would have killed a career.”
Regardless, the usually very private Manilow said he thinks “everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years.”
“Really, Garry and I’ve been together for so long,” he said. “It just never dawned on me that we’re going to come out. But when we got married, it was a big deal, so we did.”
Manilow credited Kief for saving his life. He said he is thankful he had Kief to support him as his music career was taking off, despite keeping their relationship under wraps.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night after night,” Manilow explained. “But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”
Manilow said he did not wish an isolated hotel room for any young people.
“It was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was fun,” he smiled.
Kief is not Manilow’s first spouse. In 1964, Manilow married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. They were married for one year.
Manilow told CNN’s Wallace he “really did love” Deixler, but added “the gay thing was pretty, pretty strong. I couldn’t deny it.”
The singer said he knew he was gay before marrying Deixler, but their marriage ended because Manilow couldn’t be the committed husband his then-wife needed. He revealed that his sexuality was not the reason his marriage failed.
“We had a very nice marriage, it was great, but I was away every night making music, as a young musician would be,” Manilow described. “It wasn’t good for me, and it wasn’t good for her.”
“I couldn’t be the proper husband,” he continued. “I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”
Brooklyn-born Manilow skyrocketed to international fame in 1974 after his release of the ever-popular pop-rock ballad Mandy. He became one of the biggest-selling musicians of all time. Prior to his success as a singer-songwriter, Manilow was behind a number of famous commercial jingles for brands like State Farm and Band-Aid — a gig that he has said helped him create catchy hooks for his own hit songs.
Emergency services rush to 89-year-old Brigette Bardot’s aid… prayers needed
Brigitte Bardot is perhaps one of the most well-known names in the world. She started her career as a model in the 1950s, and today she works as an activist. The 88-year-old former actress and model resides in the South of France.
According to recent reports, emergency services rushed to her home to aid her…
Birgitte Bardot first gained notoriety as an actress and a model beginning in 1952. She soon became an icon and turned into one of the most iconic pop culture sex symbols of the ’50s and ’60s.
She was known for playing roles that showcased sexually liberated women who lived on the wild side.
The actress, however, retired from acting and modeling in 1973 and focused her energies instead on becoming an activist. Her main area of activism is animal protection and welfare. She, however, came under fire for racist remarks and homophobic comments she made in her own autobiography.
The 88-year-old French film icon is married to husband Bernard d’Ormale. It was her husband d’Ormale who spoke to the media and confirmed the health scare Bardot suffered.
“It was around 9 a.m. when Brigitte had trouble breathing,” d’Ormale said. “It was harder than usual but she didn’t lose consciousness. Let’s call it a moment of respiratory distraction.”
He explained, “The firefighters arrived, gave her oxygen to breathe and stayed for a moment to watch her.” He told the outlet the firefighters arrival was slightly delayed because they had initially went to the wrong address before arriving at the correct one.
The reason behind her breathing issues according to d’Ormale was the heat. He said, “Like all people of a certain age, she can no longer bear the heat.”
“It happens at 88, she must not make unnecessary efforts,” he continued. “Her pulse is fine, her heart too and her blood pressure is good, but things remain fragile.”
The actress apparently has been complaining of the heat in their home and that the airconditioning is not enough. Her husband said their air conditioning “is not very strong at home.”
We are glad to know that Brigette Bardot is doing well. Share this piece with other fans of the former actress so they can know she is doing better as well.
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