Barry Manilow has spoken about his sexuality for the first time.

The 73 year old singer has spoken to People magazine confirming that he is gay and married to his manager Garry Keif. The couple have been together for almost 40 years.

Manilow told the magazine that he was worried his fans would be disappointed if they discovered that he was gay.

“I’m so private,” he said. “I always have been. I thought I would be disappointing them [fans] if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything.”

Instead the singer has discovered that his fans are incredibly supportive and congratulate him on his happiness.

Manilow met Keif in the late 1970’s and the pair have been together ever since. They tied the knot at a secret ceremony in Palm Springs in 2014. While news of the marriage was reported previously, this is the first time the singer has publicly spoken about it.

He was previously married to  married high school sweetheart Susan Deixler in 1964. The pair broke up after just two years and their marriage was annulled.

Manilow’s music career began in the 1970s. He famously played piano for Bette Midler early in her career, including her legendary shows at New York’s Continental Baths.

One of his earliest successes as a songwriter was with the tune Could it Be Magic. It would be a hit for Donna Summer, and later Take That would also take the tune to the top of the charts.

His big break through came in 1974 with the tune Mandy. The hits kept coming throughout the 1970’s and included Copacabana,  I Write the Songs and Can’t Smile Without You.

His new album This is My Town: Songs of New York will be released on 21 April. It will be Manilow’s 29th studio album.