It looks as though some belated congratulations are in order for Barry Manilow! The National Enquirer is reporting that the 71-year-old singer married Garry Kief, his manager and the president of Barry Manilow Productions, in a secret ceremony last April.
According to the tabloid, Barry and Gary (hee hee – love it!) tied the knot at their home in Palm Springs in front of 50 guests who were completely unaware of what was going to happen. “It was a total surprise. When they arrived they were told it was a wedding!” a source reveals.
UPDATE – People now has multiple sources confirming the wedding as well.
Here is a rare photo of Barry Manilow and Garry Kief together. Taken at the wedding of Michael Feinstein and Terrence Flannery in October of 2008, you can see Garry on the far left and of course that’s Barry second from the right:
Barry and Garry have been together for more than 30 years, but Barry has never officially come out as gay. “Barry is paranoid that his fans would not approve of him being gay, when in reality, many have suspected it for years – and most wouldn’t care,” the source said. “They would be happy for him!”
Barry and Garry reportedly never filed the actual paperwork to formalize the nuptials, however, for fear that the media would find out.
Of course, Teen Mom 2‘s Babs Evans seems to have known all along:
Barry bestie Suzanne Somers reportedly served as “best man” while his long-time assistant Marc Hulett registered online to become a minister and performed the ceremony.
Congratulations to Barry and Gary! Hopefully the National Enquirer story will motivate them to come out and openly celebrate their union with fans. To find out more about the ceremony, be sure to pick up your copy — on newsstands now!
