Barry Manilow.Photo:Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty
Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty
Barry Manilowstruggled with some of the tougher aspects of being in the public eye over the years.
In aninterview withThe Hollywood Reporterreleased Friday, the “Mandy” musician, 80, opened up about the “burden” of keeping his sexuality private, before heofficially came out as gayin a 2017 PEOPLE cover story.
“I didn’t want my career to go away. I love it. I’m grateful for it. But it was a burden to keep it quiet,” Manilow told the outlet.
Barry Manilow performs onstage during We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert in August 2021.Jeff Kravitz/Getty
Jeff Kravitz/Getty
The pop legend recalled having an exchange withClive Davis—who came out as bisexual in 2013— in the 1980s about the pitfalls of coming out as a celebrity.
“He said, ‘You know —Elton Johncame out as bisexual. No artist should ever do that. It’ll hurt your career.’ And it did hurt Elton for quite a while,” Manilow recalled.
The “Copacabana” performer interpreted this as advice for himself, however, the record producer, 91, denied having the conversation.
“I never had that conversation with Barry,” Davis toldTHR. “We never went there. Had it come up, to analyze what the impact would be, I would have said it’s a risky proposition to a career. But we never had the conversation about whether he should come out because he never said to me that he was gay.”
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Barry Manilow for The Hollywood Reporter.Joelle Grace Taylor
Joelle Grace Taylor
“I’m watching this little girl—she’s 2½—grow up and learn. This is a brand-new experience for me, and I really am enjoying it,” he added.
source: people.com
