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Who was Barry Manilow's ex-wife, Susan Deixler? Exploring her life, career, and their relationship timeline
: Acclaimed singer Barry Manilow once had a wife named Susan Deixler before coming out as gay. Let’s explore her life and their relationship together
Barry Manilow is one of the most legendary singers in American history. He has had countless hits over the years, especially in the 1970s and 80s. The singer has been beloved by millions but still remained quite private about his life for a long time.
In 2014 he married his longtime partner Garry Kief. But before that, quite a long time ago he was married to a woman named Susan Deixler. Here is a look into their relationship together and what Susan did throughout her life.
Who was Susan Deixler? Barry Manilow’s first wife
Despite having a legacy that is rare for many to have in music, Barry Manilow has had an incredible journey. From his humble beginnings in Brooklyn where he discovered his love for music, the most important goal in his life has been to pursue this art and become better at it.
But at one point in time, there was someone, who had taken precedence in the legendary singer’s mind. That was his high school sweetheart from Brooklyn itself, Susan Deixler. Manilow was a popular guy in high school, being voted the best musician in his yearbook. He married Susan in 1964 before a Rabbi according to Susan’s Jewish heritage.
At the time, Manilow was blindly in love with Susan so much so that he didn’t listen to his friends when they said that he was making the wrong decision. It was the only thought in his mind and his relationship had even taken precedence over his love for music. His friends had believed that things won’t turn out well for the couple and wouldn’t happen as they imagined.
His friends’ doubts turned out to be true as the couple only remained together for one year. Finally, Manilow’s love for his music won over his love for Susan and he left her to explore his life in music.
For Manilow music became the only thing that he cared about the most and he focused on that solely. Susan was left disgruntled at home waiting for her young husband while he pursued his dream. Things took a toll on her and she finally decided to divorce him for good.
She filed for annulment in their marriage and never married again. Though she did have two kids, Pauline and Danny. She pursued a career in holistic healing and decided to live a quiet and private life. Despite some grievances earlier, she decided to forgive her former husband eventually.
Barry Manilow’s second attempt at romance
Even though he left his wife to pursue music, once he had achieved the heights he envisioned for himself, Barry decided to have another go at a romantic life.
He met Gary Kief, who was working in TV at the time. The two later partnered together first for business reasons but later as they grew close to each other. Though seeing the public image that Manilow had, they decided to keep their relationship private.
But eventually, they married in 2014, coming out together as a couple and setting an example in the entertainment industry.
"I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything. When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy. The reaction was so beautiful." Barry had told PEOPLE magazine when the couple revealed their relationship in 2017.
The couple have been pioneers in their fields and have also been examples of acceptance and individuality in the music industry.
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