New York - Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow held a secret wedding ceremony with his longtime manager Garry Kief last year, according to reports.

Some 50 guests attended the ceremony at his home in Palm Springs, California, The National Enquirer and sister outlet Radar Online reported.

The guests thought they were invited to lunch and were told it was a wedding when they arrived, a source told the publication.

The "commitment ceremony", it said, was performed by Manilow's longtime assistant Marc Hulett after he registered online to become a minister.

Although they have not signed any papers to make the union official, they were seen wearing wedding bands, reported People magazine citing unnamed "multiple sources" as confirming the news of the wedding.

The Copacabana singer did not make it official as he feared that the news would leak and that his fans would not approve of him being gay, a sources told the Enquirer.

His actress friend and neighbour Suzanne Somers was the best man. Manilow's representative is not commenting on the news.

Manilow, 71, was married to his high school sweetheart Susan Deixler in the 1960s, reports said. It was annulled after two years.

The hitmaker is known for being private about his personal affairs.

Kief, 66, has been the president of Barry Manilow Productions and Stiuletto Entertainment Group, which produces reality shows and documentaries, since 1981.