Barry Manilow is a grandfather! The crooner, 80, celebrates as his husband Garry Kief’s daughter welcomes a little girl: ‘I really am enjoying it’
Barry Manilow is celebrating the addition of a new grandson to his family.
The 80-year-old singer-songwriter revealed People on Wednesday that his husband Gary Keefe’s daughter Kirsten, 47, recently welcomed a baby girl into her family through adoption.
She is the first child for Kirsten and the adoption also marks Barry becoming a grandfather for the first time.
“Gary’s daughter Kirsten adopted a baby girl, so I’m a grandfather now,” he said. “I never, ever thought about having a baby or having anything to do with (being) a father or anything like that.”
Even if singer Mandi hadn’t thought about being a grandfather before, he was clearly fascinated by the new development.
New milestone: Barry Manilow, 80, revealed to People on Wednesday that he has become a grandfather for the first time; seen on September 21 in Las Vegas
New family member: Manilow has become a grandfather after his longtime manager and husband Gary Keefe’s daughter Kirsten adopted a young daughter. He and Gary have been together since 1978 and married in 2014; seen together in 2016 in Beverly Hills
“I’m watching this little girl — she’s 2½ — growing and learning,” he added. ‘This is a completely new experience for me and I’m really enjoying it.’
Barry and Gary have been married since 2014 – three years before he came out as gay – but the two have had a romantic and professional relationship dating back to the 1970s.
The hitmaker became involved with Keefe — then a television executive — in 1978, and Keefe later became Manilow’s manager.
Although they have been together for decades, the singer hoped to keep his sexuality a secret for fear that his older fan base might reject him and his music if they knew he was gay.
But that didn’t stop Barry and Gary from tying the knot in 2014, after gay marriage became legal again in California a year earlier.
The performer tried to keep the marriage a secret, but news of it surfaced in 2015. However, it wasn’t until two years later that Manilow officially came out as gay.
The news doesn’t appear to have had a significant impact on his fan base, and he is scheduled to perform his regular show at the Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas until December 2024.
He also celebrated breaking a major record at the hotel and casino. His concert there on September 23 this year marked the occasion that he broke Elvis Presley’s record of 636 concerts, and Barry will only add to his whirlwind string of performances over the next year.
Manilow also recently spoke out for a much darker reason: to pay tribute to his longtime friend Suzanne Somers after her death on Sunday at age 76.
Learning new things: “I’m watching this little girl — she’s 2½ — growing and learning,” he said. ‘This is a completely new experience for me and I really enjoy it’; seen in September in Las Vegas
Saying goodbye: Earlier this week he paid tribute to his long-time friend Suzanne Somers after she died on Sunday aged 76 after an incredible 23 years of living with ‘an aggressive form of breast cancer’
On Monday, he shared a throwback photo of the two longtime friends serenading their fallen pal, who died at home after living with an ‘aggressive form of breast cancer’ for an incredible 23 years.
“Susan and I have been friends for decades,” Manilow captioned the photo. “She was the sister I never had and my close confidant forever. We shared triumphs and pains.’
He noted her “real talent as one of our greatest comedic actors”, and also called her a “loving mum”, an amazing homemaker and one of the world’s best cooks, admitting that her celebrity sometimes “overshadowed” her greatest talents.
“I will miss him very much and I hope he is now pain-free and at peace,” he concluded.