He wrote the songs that makes the young girls cry - but at the age of 73 Barry Manilow has confirmed he is in fact gay.
While his sexuality has been frequently speculated upon, he has never been transparent about his relationship with his manager, Garry Kief, with whom he has been in a romantic affair for nearly 40 years.
The Brooklyn singer-songwriter has always closely protected his private life, but decided during a recent interview with People magazine to confirm suspicions of the open secret.
However Manilow, 73, said the reason for the years of shrouded secrecy was his fear of letting down fans.
"I thought I would be disappointing [my fans] if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything."
Manilow met his manager in 1978, and the pair married in a private ceremony in 2014.
"I knew that this was it," he said of their meeting. "I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that."
While the news won't stun the music industry, or many of his fans, the reaction of fans who found out about their relationship may have been what propelled the singer to go public.
"When the fans found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was beautiful- strangers commenting, 'Great for you!' I'm just so grateful for it."
The singer behind hits such as 'Looks Like We Made It', 'Copacabana' and 'Many' is set to release his 29th studio album, This Is My Town, on 21 April.
Newshub.
