Barry Manilow's first marriage to 'perfect wife' ended a year after they wed
It has been almost a decade since Barry Manilow married his long-term partner and manager Garry Kief, with the couple set to celebrate their tenth anniversary next year.
The marriage isn't the first time that the singer-songwriter, 79, had tied the knot though as he was once briefly married to his 'high school sweetheart' Susan Deixler, now 77.
Barry - who is best known for songs like Mandy, Copacabana and Could It Be Magic - has spoken about his first marriage, which ended up being annulled, in the past.
He previously revealed that although Susan was the "perfect wife," he wasn't ready to settle down and had wanted to embark on a "wondrous musical adventure" instead.
Barry Manilow has previously spoken about his first marriage, which lasted a year (Getty Images for Michael Kors)As reported by the Express, he wrote about Susan - whom he's said to have begun dating in high school - in his memoir Sweet Life: Adventures on the Way to Paradise.
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The couple are said to have met whilst students at Eastern District High School in Brooklyn, with them understood to have stayed together after their respective graduations.
Barry previously described Susan as having been "adorable, small with great legs and a voluptuous figure," and said in the autobiography that her "smile that lit up the room".
He however said that his friends believed he was "rushing" into marriage with her, though the couple decided to tie the knot in the judge's chambers in City Hall in around 1964.
The Grammy Award winner said Susan was the "perfect wife," though they are said to have parted ways after just one year of marriage, with the nuptials annulled in 1965.
The outlet reports that Barry said in his memoir, released in 1987, that he told Susan he needed to embark on "this wondrous musical adventure that [he] saw within [his] reach".
He's currently married to his manager Garry Kief (Getty)It's claimed that Susan "reacted badly" and initially said he could only take clothes from their apartment, before later letting him take his piano after applying for an annulment.
Susan addressed the relationship in 2015, following the news that Barry had married his partner Garry, which came shortly before the musician announced that he is gay.
She told the Daily Mail : "I wish him well. I'm happy for him. I'm glad that he's found love and happiness. What happened between us, our relationship, is ancient history and I don't want to dig back into ancient history. It's 50 years ago."
"You have to remember that I'm not a celebrity. I have children, a life…all that was a long time ago. I'm a private person but I'm happy for him. I really am," she added.
Barry spoke about Susan to People magazine in 2017 following his more recent nuptials to Garry. He said: "I was in love with Susan. [...] I just was not ready for marriage."
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According to the outlet, he maintained that he wasn't struggling with his sexuality at the time of their marriage, adding: "I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats - I was too young. I wasn't ready to settle down."
Further discussing his experience, he told the outlet about his previous concerns over sharing his sexuality: "I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay."
Barry however said during the interview that his fans were instead "so happy" when they discovered that he was in a relationship with Garry, saying the reaction was "beautiful".
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