Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, in a bombshell to legions of his fans all over the world, on Monday confirmed a longtime rumor that he is gay.
“I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am,” he wrote on his official rickymartin.com Web site.
With his swiveling hips and scintillating salsa moves, Martin has been an object of adoration by million of fans around the world, especially of the female variety.
The Latin pop star records and performs mostly in Spanish but also has a huge crossover following in English, thanks in large part to his 1999 hit Livin’ La Vida Loca (“Livin’ the Crazy Life” in English).
Martin, 38, told his fans that his decision to come out of the closet marks “an amazing turning point in my life,” and it started a few months ago when he began the process of writing his memoirs.
“From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time,” Martin wrote on his Web site.
He said the secret over time had become “too heavy for me to keep inside” and that he joyfully embraces his gay identity as “something worth celebrating.”
Coming out “fills me with strength and courage,” Martin said. “Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.”
(AFP WITH STAFF WRITER)
波多黎各歌手瑞奇•馬丁是同志的謠言流傳已久，周一他宣布「出櫃」，為全球廣大歌迷投下一枚震撼彈。
他在個人官網rickymartin.com上貼文說：「我很驕傲地說，我是個幸運的同志。我很高興能做自己。」
馬丁以性感電臀和熱情騷莎舞步成為全球數百萬歌迷崇拜的偶像，尤其深受女性喜愛。
這位拉丁流行天王的專輯與演唱多以西班牙文為主，
一九九九年的暢銷曲「瘋狂人生」開啟他跨足英文市場之路，發行的英文專輯不計其數。
現年三十八歲的馬丁告訴歌迷，出櫃是「我人生中美妙的轉捩點」。他幾個月前著手撰寫回憶錄時，就決定要公開性向。
馬丁在網站上寫說：「自下筆那一刻起，我就確定這本書會是幫助我從長期背負的秘密中解放的工具。」
他表示，隨著時間過去，這秘密已經「沉重到令我無法負荷」，於是他像在慶賀某件「值得慶祝」的事般，開心坦承自己的同志身份。
馬丁說，出櫃「讓我充滿力量與勇氣。今天是屬於我的日子、我的時刻」。
（法新社╱翻譯：林倩如）
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