Barry Manilow Recalls How 'It Was a Burden' to Keep His Sexuality a Secret: 'I Was Always Worried'

"I didn't want my career to go away," Manilow told 'The Hollywood Reporter' in an interview

Barry Manilow struggled with some of the tougher aspects of being in the public eye over the years.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter released Friday, the "Mandy" musician, 80, opened up about the "burden" of keeping his sexuality private, before he officially came out as gay in a 2017 PEOPLE cover story.

“I didn’t want my career to go away. I love it. I’m grateful for it. But it was a burden to keep it quiet,” Manilow told the outlet.

He added: “I was always worried. Every interview: ‘They’re going to ask me whether I’m gay or not.’ Nobody ever did, by the way. They never asked me the $64 question.”

Related: Barry Manilow Reveals He's a Grandfather: 'I Really Am Enjoying It' (Exclusive)

The pop legend recalled having an exchange with Clive Davis — who came out as bisexual in 2013 — in the 1980s about the pitfalls of coming out as a celebrity.

“He said, ‘You know — Elton John came out as bisexual. No artist should ever do that. It’ll hurt your career.’ And it did hurt Elton for quite a while,” Manilow recalled.

The "Copacabana" performer interpreted this as advice for himself, however, the record producer, 91, denied having the conversation.

“I never had that conversation with Barry,” Davis told THR. “We never went there. Had it come up, to analyze what the impact would be, I would have said it’s a risky proposition to a career. But we never had the conversation about whether he should come out because he never said to me that he was gay.”

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Related: Barry Manilow on Being Busier Than Ever: 'By Keeping Working, You Stay Young' (Exclusive)

In October, Manilow opened up to PEOPLE about becoming a grandfather as husband and manager Garry Kief's daughter Kirsten, 47, became a first-time mom, bringing a baby girl into their lives.

"Garry’s daughter Kirsten adopted a little girl, and so I’m now a grandfather," he told PEOPLE. "I’ve never, ever thought about having a baby or having anything to do with [being] a father or any of that."

"I’m watching this little girl—she’s 2½—grow up and learn. This is a brand-new experience for me, and I really am enjoying it," he added.

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Read the original article on People.