Barry Manilow is married

Barry Manilow married his longtime manager Garry Kief in a secret ceremony last year, it has been revealed.

The ‘‘Copacabana’’ singer, 71, who has not publicly addressed his sexuality, wed at his Palm Springs home in California in front of around 50 guests, the National Enquirer reports.

‘‘It was a total surprise,’’ a friend tells the publication.

A source told People that the small group had only been told they were attending a luncheon.

People quotes a source close to the entertainer who said that Barry and Garry ‘‘are committed to one another and have been for a very long time.’’

‘‘They have a great relationship. Garry has always been there for Barry.’’

So far, there’s been no official word from Barry or his representatives on the subject.

While the longtime partners now both wear wedding bands, the National Enquirer reports that no paperwork has been filed to formalise the marriage.

Apparently, the star who has millions of female fans around the world, was worried that if they made their union official, word would leak out about his sexuality and that his fans wouldn’t approve of him being gay.

But an insider told People that he went ahead and tied the knot with Garry because ‘‘he’s got his career and personal life in a great place and he really doesn’t care what people think.’’

‘‘He’s in love and happy.’’

According to the National Enquirer, the ‘‘Could It Be Magic’’ crooner’s longtime friend and Palm Springs neighbour Suzanne Somers was the best man at the ceremony and Marc Hulett, who’s been Barry’s assistant since the 1980s, oversaw the proceedings after he registered online to become a minister.

The tabloid reports that Gary was once married to a woman with whom he has a daughter but that he and Barry have been together for more than 30 years.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Garry has served as President of Barry Manilow Productions and Stiuletto Entertainment Group since April 1981.

In addition to producing television specials and documentaries starring his now husband, Garry also has a strong of reality shows and documentaries that he’s developed and made through Stiletto Television including Treehouse Masters, Taxidermy USA, Extreme Christmas Trees and Extreme Cougar Wives.

He also manages the career of Lorna Luft, Liza Minelli’s half-sister through Stiletto Entertainment and produces live shows for cruise ships, and he’s a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Brooklyn native Barry, whose birth name was Barry Alan Pincus, was also once married to a woman.

In his 1987 autobiography Sweet Life, he makes a fleeting reference to falling in love with his high school sweetheart.

Her name was Susan Deixler and they married in a civil ceremony followed by a Jewish wedding in front of a Rabbi.

But less than a year later, Barry, who was 21, apparently decided he was too young to be tied down and moved out of their apartment and out of the marriage in order to focus on his music career.

Susan responded by seeking an annulment of their marriage, which legally meant it had never happened.

Barry fiercely guards his private life and when he’s not on the road, these days he retreats behind the gates of his 64-acre Palm Springs hide-way.

He has never publicly spoken about his sexuality although he has been the subject of rumours over the years.

‘‘I am a private guy,’’ the superstar said in a 2012 interview with UK newspaper The Telegraph.

‘‘You can only come into my world if I invite you in. From the very beginning that was the rule. I learnt how to deal with the publicity/press thing. You just say, ‘I’m not interested in talking about [that],’ he said. ‘That’s the only way I can survive . . . I don’t want strangers knowing everything. If that happened, that would drive me crazy.”

Since finding fame, Barry has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the greatest artists of all time.

He’s had a strong of hit singles and multi-platinum albums and in 1978, five of his albums were in the best-seller charts at the same time.

His hits include ‘‘I Write The Songs’’, ‘‘Can’t Smile Without You’’, ‘‘Even Now’’, ‘‘Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again’’ and ‘‘It’s a Miracle.’’

His songs of love and yearning have garnered him hundreds of million of fans and many awards since his breakthrough hit Mandy in 1974. — dailymail.