Thaindian News

LOS ANGELES (THAINDIAN NEWS) — Singer Ricky Martin on Monday came out of the closet and finally admitted he is gay. The revelation comes after years of speculation about his sexuality.

Rick Martin, whose real name is José Enrique Martin Morales, made the confession in a statement on his website. “A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life,” he said. “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. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating.”

Martin has been surrounded by rumors about his sexuality for years. In late 2007, a close friend to Martin told a Swedish magazine that the singer is gay. “He is a bit more open about it these days than he used to be. I don’t know if he has a boyfriend,” said skin care specialist Ole Henriksen.

Martin, in Monday’s statement, said ‘for many years’ the only place where he was in touch with his emotions fearlessly was on the stage. “Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It’s my vice,” he said. “The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I don’t ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I’m at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I’m feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share.”

The singer, who is best known from his single “Livin’ la Vida Loca”, said many people close to him advised him not to disclose his sexuality. “Many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature,” he cited friends as telling him in the past. “Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth.”

Martin said his confession was supposed to happen now, and not 5 or 10 years ago. “Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.”

“What will happen from now on? It doesn’t matter. I can only focus on what’s happening to me in this moment. The word “happiness” takes on a new meaning for me as of today,” Martin continued.

He concluded his letter by saying: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”