Barry Manilow explains why he waited decades to come out as gay

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.”

Garry Kief and Barry Manilow.
Garry Kief and Barry Manilow attend the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 14, 2016, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Steve Granitz/WireImage

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.

Barry Manilow.

Man Is So Moved By Viral Video Of Dog Being Dumped That He Goes Looking And Saves Him

Thanks to a man who saw a video of the incident that went viral, a dog who was shockingly dumped by the side of the road has a happy ending. A bicyclist in Itabira, Brazil, saw someone in a vehicle leave a small brown and white dog by the roadside a few weeks ago.

Because she couldn’t take the dog with her, the girl who filmed it went home to get her car, but when she returned to the scene, she couldn’t find the dog. She looked for several days in the area but came up empty-handed. She then shared the video on social media with the caption, “I can’t stop thinking about the dog.” “I’m not sure if he’s all right.”

Many people agreed with her, including a man who lived near where the dog was abandoned. He was moved by the dog’s plight and went in search of him. The Good Samaritan searched for the lost dog for two days straight!

Despite the fact that he was contacted by Defato Online, the Good Samaritan preferred to remain anonymous about his good deed. A video shared on WhatsApp, on the other hand, shows the happy rescued dog playing with a family in what appears to be a backyard.

“So people, this here is the dog we rescued that is causing a lot of controversy here in Itabira,” the narrator says in the video. We were moved by the story and decided to pursue him. He’s now being looked after. He’s here with us, with food and everything he requires.” With the exception of a name, that is.

People are now being asked to help the family name the dog, according to the news outlet. Is Pietro, Einstein, or Xerebebeu the best choice? According to polls, the name ‘Pietro’ is the most popular.

Thanks to the witness and the man who refused to give up on the dog, what began as a sad story now has a happy ending. Share this touching dog rescue story with your friends and family!

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