Is Barry Manilow Married? Details About His Weddings And Divorce

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Barry Manilow sat firmly atop the mountain of soft rock. And over the course of his 60-plus year career, he's racked up several number-one hits, 15 Grammy nominations, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, among many other accolades. But what is Manilow's life like when he's not performing or having his wardrobe raided by the principal from "The Breakfast Club" — and has he ever settled down and gotten married? The "Mandy" singer hasn't particularly been an open book when it comes to his personal life, that's for sure, however, there are a few things we know for sure.

Manilow is married to his manager and longtime TV executive Garry Kief. The pair wed in 2014 after 36 years together. However, their nuptials didn't become public knowledge until 2015, and Manilow himself didn't formally address it until 2017, at which point he publicly came out as gay in an interview with People. The tragic reason Manilow kept his romance with Kief a secret for so long was because he feared public backlash. "Now, being gay is no big deal, but back in the '70s, it would have killed a career," the singer later said in a 2023 interview with CNN (via The Guardian).

Interestingly, though, Manilow was actually briefly married 50 years before he and Kief exchanged vows. Back in 1964, he tied the knot with a woman named Susan Deixler, his high school sweetheart. That marriage ended in annulment just two years later in 1966, though not for the reason you may think.

According to Barry Manilow, the end of his marriage to Susan Deixler had nothing to do with his sexuality, and everything to do with the fact that he just wasn't ready to commit at that point in his life. "I was in love with Susan, I just was not ready for marriage," Manilow told People in 2017, adding, "I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats — I was too young. I wasn't ready to settle down." It wasn't until he met future husband Garry Kief in 1978 that everything started to click into place. "I knew that this was it. I was one of the lucky ones. I was pretty lonely before that," Manilow said.

Though Manilow once feared what coming out would mean for his career, he was pleasantly surprised by how his fans reacted to the news of his and Kief's marriage. "When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy," he told People. "The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, 'Great for you!' I'm just so grateful for it." Not only that, but among those offering their well wishes was Manilow's ex-wife. "I'm glad that he's found love and happiness," Deixler told the Daily Mail in 2015, adding, "What happened between us, our relationship, is ancient history and I don't want to dig back into ancient history. ... I'm a private person but I'm happy for him. I really am."