Barry Manilow prepares to say goodbye to fans with new “Once Before I Go” video

After a 50+ year career in showbusiness, Barry Manilow is preparing to bow out. The 82-year-old is gearing up for a series of farewell concerts to fans in the US in early 2026.

Ahead of the shows, Manilow this week released a video for what could be his swansong track.

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“Once Before I Go” was written by Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford. Allen, a celebrated Australian songwriter, died in 1992 from AIDS-related illness.

The song features on Manilow’s upcoming album, What A Time. The song first hit streamers in September, but Manilow only released a video this week.

It’s directed by Jamie Thraves, the man who helmed Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Coldplay’s “The Scientist” promo videos.

It was shot at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, where Manilow has enjoyed a record-breaking residency in recent years. It shows Manilow as a performer sacrificing a traditional family life to pursue his dreams of stardom.

Watch below.

A life of success

Having begun his career as Bette Midler’s backing pianist in the infamous Continental Baths in New York City at the start of the 1970s, Manilow’s solo breakthrough came in 1974 and the number one success of his single, “Mandy”.

Many more hits and sell-out tours followed.

In 2017, following years of rumors and speculation, Manilow publicly confirmed what had been an open secret in the entertainment world: He’s gay and has been with his partner, Garry Kief, since 1978.

The two men married in 2014 when it became legal to do so in California. Manilow continued to decline talking about his private life until April 2017.

He later told the BBC that he’d not done so sooner because he feared how it would impact his career, especially in the 1970s.

He told Reuters he was moved by how his fans reacted to his coming out, calling it a “beautiful experience”.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I should have known better because my fans, and frankly the public, they care about my happiness and I have always known that.”

As for “Once Before I Go”, Manilow says Peter Allen first played it to him decades ago. However, Manilow felt he couldn’t record it in his younger years.

Manilow says he did so now after encouragement from music mogul Clive Davis.

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Midler earned money performing at the infamous NYC gay bathhouse at the start of her career.

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