INTRODUCTION
In the brick-lined corridors of Eastern District High School in Brooklyn, New York, during the early 1960s, a quiet romance bloomed far away from the future glitz of the Las Vegas Strip. A nineteen-year-old woman named Susan Deixler fell in love with a shy, musically obsessed young man named Barry Manilow. They married in 1964, constructing what Manilow would later describe in his autobiography as a “perfect” marriage. However, the relentless pull of creative ambition soon intervened, leading to their annulment in 1966. For over half a century, as Manilow’s name became synonymous with global pop royalty and multi-million USD ($) tours, Deixler vanished entirely from the celebrity apparatus. She chose a path of absolute normal life, presenting a fascinating narrative of silent dignity that stands in stark contrast to the modern era’s obsession with public disclosure.
THE DETAILED STORY
When the news of Barry Manilow’s long-term relationship and clandestine wedding to manager Garry Kief officially leaked to the mainstream press in April 2015, the international media immediately turned its magnifying glass backward. Reporters eagerly hunted for Susan Deixler, the woman who had shared Manilow’s pre-fame life during those sweltering New York summers where temperatures regularly reached 90 Fahrenheit as he stayed up every night writing off-Broadway scores like The Drunkard. Journalists sought a dramatic tale of heartbreak, resentment, or old wounds reopened. Instead, they encountered an impenetrable wall of class and absolute poise. Speaking briefly from her private life, Deixler firmly shut down the predatory tabloid apparatus by declaring that their 1960s relationship was ancient history. Rather than weaponizing the sudden attention, she offered a pure, unconditional blessing, stating clearly that she was genuinely happy for him.
This elegant response reframed her legacy in major industry chronicles. For decades, Manilow’s early marriage had been subject to retrospective analysis, especially following his definitive public coming out on 04/05/2017 via The Hollywood Reporter and People. Manilow had consistently maintained that his early union with Deixler was born out of genuine, youthful love rather than societal pressure or hidden identities. He noted that his intense, nightly dedication to a burgeoning musical career simply made it impossible for him to be a proper husband at that time. Today, Deixler resides completely outside the entertainment machinery, enjoying a fulfilling private life centered around her own children and personal achievements. While primetime retrospectives celebrating Manilow’s historic catalog continue to be broadcast across national ET/PT schedules, generating massive catalog value tracked by Billboard, Deixler remains completely content as a private citizen. She refuses to capitalize on her historical connection to a legend, choosing instead to let her silence act as a protective barrier. Her journey proves that the most profound power an ordinary person can hold against the crushing mechanism of global fame is the absolute refusal to be consumed by it.