Barry Manilow has become a grandpa!
The renowned musician, 80, announced to PEOPLE in this week’s issue that he’s now a grandfather since his spouse and manager Garry Kief’s daughter Kirsten, 47, just became a first-time mother, bringing a baby girl into their lives.
“Garry’s daughter Kirsten adopted a little girl, and so I’m now a grandfather,” he told the publication. “I’ve never, ever thought about having a baby or having anything to do with [being] a father or any of that.”
“I’m seeing this young girl—she’s 212 years old—grow and develop. “This is an entirely new experience for me, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” he says.
The happy news comes after Manilow, 80, recently broke Elvis Presley’s record for most concerts at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas by performing his 637th gig at the facility.
On September 23, Manilow posted a video from the historic event to social media, and the venue was decked out in festive decorations. “Welcome to our record-breaking weekend,” he said in the video.
“Tonight, we are breaking his record with our 637th show here,” said Manilow, who was joined on stage by representatives from the Westgate and the Clark County Commission to accept the key. In addition, September 23 has been designated as “Barry Manilow Day” in Las Vegas.
“It really is all about you guys,” he reportedly told showgoers, according to NPR. “You know I love all the awards and everything, but without you, I wouldn’t be here.” Thank you for coming today and for all of your support throughout the years.”
“Welcome to our Record Breaking Weekend!” pic.twitter.com/3o6OlJE07X
— Barry Manilow (@barrymanilow) September 23, 2023
With his upcoming Broadway show, Harmony, Manilow’s amazing year continues. The new musical, for which Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award winner Manilow composed an original new soundtrack alongside lyrics and a book by his longtime partner Bruce Sussman, has been in the works for decades; Manilow first performed it in California in 1997. According to The New York Times, Harmony was supposed to launch on Broadway in 2004, but the run was canceled when funding fell through.
The play is based on the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, a group of German vocalists who rose to renown in the 1920s and 1930s. According to the Times, the company ran into difficulties when Germany’s Nazi party assumed control in the 1930s because it contained some Jewish artists.
“They represent everything I love—a combination of The Manhattan Transfer and the Marx Brothers, with complicated harmonies—and they’re funny as hell,” Manilow said of Harmony in April. “When we dug into it, it just killed me. Why don’t we know about them?”
The show’s primary cast also includes Sierra Boggess and Julie Benko, and it is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle.