Ricky Martin Announces He is Gay

Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin has announced he is gay, ending years of speculation over his sexuality.
Martin, who has sold more than 60 million albums in a career spanning three decades, said on his website that he felt "blessed to be who he was."

He added that he had kept his sexuality hidden so far because advisers had told him coming out could hurt his career.
His biggest hit is Livin' La Vida Loca — a 1999 single that reached number one in more than 20 countries.
Martin, who fathered two children with a surrogate mother two years ago, said on his website: "Today I have accepted my homosexuality as a gift that gives me life. I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

He said his decision to write his memoirs had helped him to free "things that were too heavy to keep inside."
"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 website.
Martin began his career in the 1980s with the Puerto Rican boy-band, Menudo.