Barry Manilow facts every fan should know: Songs, age, partner and more

25 March 2025, 09:41

Barry Manilow is one of the most popular singer-songwriters of all time.

Barry Manilow has sold hundreds of millions of records over the past five decades.

The 'Could It Be Magic' singer has also toured all over the world and continued to pack them in at his multiple Las Vegas residencies.

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Manilow has not yet retired though he did play his last ever UK shows in summer 2024.

As he begins to draw the curtain on a remarkable career, it feels like the perfect time to look back on the man's life and work.

Here are all the important facts about Barry every fan should know.

1. Who is Barry Manilow and what are his biggest songs?

   

   Barry Manilow - Mandy • TopPop

   Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, musician and producer. He has been performing and recording for over 50 years.

   Among his most famous songs include:

   • Could It Be Magic
   • Mandy
   • I Write the Songs
   • Can't Smile Without You
   • Copacabana (At the Copa)
   • Weekend in New England
   • Looks Like We Made It

   He has also produced albums for many artists include Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan.

   He has sold over 75 million records as a solo artist worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists.

2. What is his real name and where was he born?

   

   He was born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, New York, and was the son of Edna Manilow and truck driver Harold Kelliher.

   Harold had some Jewish roots, but he and his surname was all-Irish.

   With her parents disapproving of the union, Edna insisted that Harold change his surname to Pincus – the surname of one of his Jewish uncles.

   "The fact that Harold was an Irish truck-driver was hidden from the family," Barry told The Irish Independent.

   "It was considered a terrible thing for my mother to have done. They wouldn't even allow my name to be Kelliher. They changed it immediately.

   "When I was born, I was called Barry Pincus. They had to dig deep into my father's family to find one Jewish relative.

   "They went back to the 1800s and they found one uncle, a Jewish guy called Pincus. My mother made my father change his name to Pincus."

   After all that, Edna and Harold divorced when Barry was still a baby, and he soon changed his surname to his mum's maiden name.

   Barry grew up in Brooklyn, and later enrolled in the City College of New York, where he studied before entering the New York College of Music.

3. Barry Manilow age: How old is he?

   

   Barry was born on June 17, 1943.

   He celebrated his 81st birthday in 2024.

4. Is Barry Manilow married?

   

   Barry married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler, in 1964. However, the marriage was annulled in 1966.

   He privately came out as gay several years later, and in 1978, began a relationship with TV executive Garry Kief, who also became his manager.

   The pair married in 2014, after same-sex marriage became legal in California. They kept the relationship and his sexual orientation secret until the marriage became public in 2015.

   Barry officially came out in April 2017, telling People that he preferred to keep his sexual orientation quiet, as it worried him that it would disappoint his female fan base.