All About Barry Manilow's Stepdaughter Kirsten Kief (Who Followed Dad Garry Kief into the Family Business!)

Mar. 15, 2025

Barry Manilow and Kirsten Kief during 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.Photo:Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

PerformerBarry Manilowwas “Ready to Take a Chance” on becoming a stepdad to Kirsten Kief when he began dating husbandGarry Kiefin 1978.

Though Manilow never had children of his own during his brief marriage to his ex-wife Susan Deixler, Garry did have a child from a former relationship. Kirsten was young when her father began dating the “Mandy” singer, soManilow helped raise herfrom a early age.

Manilow took inspiration for parenthood fromhis own stepfather, Willie Murphy, who introduced him to music through a vast library of records. “When my stepfather came into my life and brought with him a stack of albums that may as well have been a stack of gold, some of the greatest music you’ve ever heard — jazz, Broadway scores, great singers with great arrangements,” Manilow told PEOPLE in 2023. “He changed my life with just that little stack of records.”

In October 2023, Manilow revealed that Kirsten had recently become a first-time mom, making Manilow and Garry grandparents.

He told PEOPLE exclusively of the exciting news, “This is a brand-new experience for me, and I really am enjoying it.”

Here’s everything to know about Barry Manilow and Garry Kief’s daughter, Kirsten Kief.

She was born in 1976

Garry Kief (L) and singer Barry Manilow attend the 2016 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Irving Azoff at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 14, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California.Jason Merritt/WireImage

Jason Merritt/WireImage

Garry welcomed his daughter Kirsten with a former partner in 1976. Two years later, he began dating the iconic musician, and they’ve been together ever since. Garry also serves as Manilow’s longtime manager.

Manilow has been part of Kirsten’s life since she was a toddler

Manilow may have only married Garry in 2014, but they’ve been together since 1978, so Kirsten has had him around as a parent figure for her whole life.

“Garry and I have been together going on 40 years, and we raised a daughter,” Manilow shared during an interview with writerMichael Cavaciniin 2017. “She turned out to be a great, beautiful girl  … Our relationship and my being gay — I’ve always been a proud gay man. I’ve always been very proud of Garry and I.”

Manilow married Kirsten’s father Garry in 2014

Barry Manilow and Kirsten Kief during 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Chris Polk/FilmMagic

Though they had been together for decades, Manilow and Garry officially tied the knot in 2014.

“Itwas a surprise,” a friend of the couple told PEOPLE of their wedding, which happened at Manilow and Garry’s Palm Springs home. Only “20 to 30 guests” were invited — and they thought they were just meeting the couple to have lunch.

“I didn’t think it wasgoing to be that emotional,” Manilow later told PEOPLE in a cover story. “It was deeper than we thought it was going to be, looking at each other, saying, ‘I love you’ in front of people.”

Kirsten is a mother of one

In 2023, Manilow revealed that Kirsten had become a mother. “Garry’s daughter Kirsten adopted a little girl, and so I’m now a grandfather,” the “Copacabana 1985” singer told PEOPLE.

Manilow continued, “This is a brand-new experience for me, and I really am enjoying it.”

She works in the entertainment industry

Barry Manilow and stepdaughter Kirsten Kief during 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic

Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic

Garry is the president and CEO of Stiletto Entertainment, an entertainment agency based in Los Angeles. Besides Manilow, he’s worked with jazz singer Matt Dusk and actressLorna Luft—Judy Garland’s daughter andLiza Minnelli’s half-sister.

After graduating from Whittier College in 2001, Kirsten followed her father into the family business and now works as the Director of Business Services at Stiletto, according to herLinkedIn profile. She’s spent a decade at the company.

Kirsten has stayed out of the public eye

Despite Manilow’s public career, Kirsten has remained very much out of the spotlight. However, she has been seen with the singer at a few red carpet events over the decades, including the 2014 Emmy Awards.

source: people.com