INTRODUCTION
In the sweltering Brooklyn humidity of 1964, where summer temperatures regularly breached 90 Fahrenheit, a twenty-one-year-old clerk and aspiring pianist named Barry Manilow made a profound vow. He married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler, a nineteen-year-old woman whom he genuinely loved and considered the ideal partner. Yet, a mere twelve months later, the young bride returned to an empty apartment, her husband having packed his meager belongings to vanish into the chaotic night of the New York jazz circuit. For decades, as Manilow’s career grew into a multi-million USD ($) pop empire, this abrupt desertion remained a subject of intense speculation. Observers routinely questioned whether the sudden fracture was fueled by hidden identity crises or emotional malice. The true catalyst, however, was far more pragmatic: an all-consuming, terrifyingly singular devotion to musical stardom that left absolutely no room for the obligations of domestic matrimony.
THE DETAILED STORY
The definitive dissolution of Manilow’s brief marriage occurred not because of a lack of affection, but due to a ruthless artistic awakening. In 1964, while working at CBS to cover his tuition at the New York College of Music, Manilow met director Bro Herrod, who invited him to arrange songs for an Off-Broadway production titled The Drunkard. Instead of merely arranging, Manilow composed a complete original score. The musical became an unexpected theatrical triumph, commencing an extraordinary eight-year run. This sudden taste of theatrical validation completely altered Manilow’s psychological landscape. As later analyzed by Variety and Billboard, he became entirely engulfed by a frantic, nocturnal routine, writing corporate jingles by day and conducting theatrical ensembles by night.
In his 1987 autobiography, Sweet Life, Manilow laid bare the mechanics of his departure, explaining that his relentless “musical adventure” left him completely incompatible with traditional marriage. He noted that while he loved Deixler, he was simply too young and unready to settle down, choosing to sow his wild creative oats rather than provide domestic stability. Manilow confessed that he was away every single night making music, rendering him entirely incapable of acting as a proper husband.
Crucially, this sudden exit was entirely divorced from any immediate struggle with his sexual identity. When Manilow formally came out to the public on 04/05/2017 in a historic People magazine interview later highlighted by The Hollywood Reporter, he explicitly clarified this retrospective timeline. He insisted that during his 1964 marriage, he was authentically in love with Deixler and possessed no underlying internal conflicts regarding his orientation; he was simply a driven, hyper-focused artist who prioritized his sonic destiny above human partnerships. While prime-time specials celebrating his massive catalog were broadcast nationally across ET/PT time zones, generating millions in revenue, Deixler maintained a graceful, dignified silence. Their short-lived union was officially annulled in 1966, concluding a brief chapter that proved that for Manilow, the whole world could only begin to sing once his personal life was utterly cleared of domestic compromises.