Barry Manilow comes out after a 40-year secret gay relationship

Barry Manilow has decided to break his silence publicly about his sexuality and marriage to his longtime manager, Garry Kief.

The 73-year-old pop icon told People magazine that he and Kief were together for for nearly 40 years before they married in 2014.

So why did Manilow keep their relationship secret (aside from close friends and fans) for four decades?

"I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything," Manilow said of his fans.

While this is the first time Manilow has publicly acknowledged his sexuality and 2014 marriage to Kief, People previously reported about the Palm Springs wedding in 2015.

"When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy," Manilow said of fans after the wedding news broke. "The reaction was so beautiful - strangers commenting, 'Great for you!' I'm just so grateful for it."

Manilow met Kief in 1978, after his big hits "Mandy" and his remake of "Copacabana (At the Copa)," and hired Kief to manage his career. Kief still manages Manilow and also serves as the president of Barry Manilow Productions.

"He's the smartest person I've ever met in my life - and a great guy, too," Manilow told People.