Ricky Martin announces he is gay

Singer Ricky Martin has ended years of speculation about his sexuality by declaring himself "a fortunate homosexual man". Martin, who has previously dodged questions about his sexual orientation, finally came out on his website, saying the birth of his two sons and writing his memoirs had led to his decision. Writing in both English and Spanish, the Puerto Rico-born singer, who has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, said: "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where (sic) born with." The 38-year-old crossover star, whose biggest worldwide hit was Livin' la Vida Loca, said: "Many people told me: 'Ricky it's not important', 'it's not worth it', 'all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse', 'many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature'. "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. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions."