In her forthcoming explosive memoir Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!, legendary entertainer Liza Minnelli is pulling back the curtain on her extraordinarily complex and dramatic romantic history. The book promises to deliver startling revelations about relationships that frequently overlapped in surprising and controversial ways.
A Marriage of Complexity
Minnelli's first marriage was to Australian singer Peter Allen in 1967, a union that contained profound complications from the beginning. She recounts discovering Allen engaged in intimate relations with another man in their marital bed, an experience she describes with raw emotion. "I walked into our apartment and found Peter having passionate sex. With a man. In our bed!" she writes.
Despite this traumatic discovery, Allen offered a heartfelt confession that would define their relationship moving forward. "He told me for the first time: 'Liza, I love you more than anyone in the world...and I'm gay,'" Minnelli reveals. Remarkably, the couple maintained an active sexual relationship alongside Allen's same-sex attractions, and they remained close friends until his death from AIDS in 1992.
Overlapping Romances and Engagements
While still legally married to Allen, Minnelli embarked on a relationship with Desi Arnaz Jr., son of television icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The pair found common ground as children of famous parents navigating the challenges of celebrity upbringing. Their connection deepened to the point of engagement in 1973, with Arnaz accompanying Minnelli to the Oscars where she won Best Actress for Cabaret.
Simultaneously, another romantic entanglement was developing. During her London Palladium performances of Liza with a Z, comedy legend Peter Sellers sat in the front row, sparking an immediate attraction. Their whirlwind romance included a brief engagement that astonishingly overlapped with both her engagement to Arnaz and her ongoing marriage to Allen.
Subsequent Marriages and Affairs
In 1974, Minnelli married her second husband, Jack Haley Jr., whose father had co-starred with her mother Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz. The ceremony featured symbolic ruby slippers as a nod to this cinematic connection. During this marriage, she began a passionate affair with director Martin Scorsese, who directed her in both New York, New York and the Broadway production The Act.
"Truth be told, our love affair had more layers than a lasagna," Minnelli observes of her relationship with Scorsese. "We were both Italian. Passionate. Intense. Committed to our craft." Their romance eventually ended on strained terms, with Scorsese reportedly ignoring her at the 2014 Oscars decades later.
Further Romantic Entanglements
The 1970s also saw Minnelli confirm longstanding rumors of a relationship with ballet superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov. "Sexy, sexy, sexy! Yes, he was...and yes, we did," she declares in the memoir. This period coincided with what she describes as a "haze of substances" including benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines, alcohol, and cocaine.
After a brief fling with Pippin star Ben Vereen, Minnelli entered her third and longest marriage to sculptor Mark Gero, lasting from 1979 to 1992. This relationship was marked by profound personal tragedy as she suffered multiple miscarriages, including delivering a stillborn baby at five months pregnant. "The inability to become a mother is a tragedy I will never get over," she confesses.
A Bizarre Final Marriage
Minnelli's fourth and final marriage to David Gest in 2002 became what she describes as a media circus. "I clearly wasn't sober when I married this clown," she admits. The extravagant wedding featured Michael Jackson as best man and Elizabeth Taylor as matron of honor, but quickly devolved into controversy.
She alleges Gest controlled every aspect of her life during their marriage. "He controlled everything I ate, from morning until night. He controlled the people I saw and spoke to on the phone. He screened my calls. In truth, I was his prisoner." Their divorce proceedings involved Gest suing her for $10 million alleging spousal abuse before the case was dismissed.
Reflections and Reconnections
While writing her memoir, Minnelli reconnected with Desi Arnaz Jr. through her friend Michael Feinstein. When she attempted to apologize for past pain, Arnaz responded with remarkable grace: "Liza, all I remember is the love. Please let everything else go. I have."
Now reflecting on her ideal romantic future, Minnelli offers a characteristically unconventional vision: "Ideally, I'd like to date an older elegant man who dresses beautifully and is filthy rich. Then I'd like to date a 40-year-old guy who is passionate about something. I don't care what. Then I'd like to date an 18-year-old, who I see twice a week and whose name I don't know."
The memoir, scheduled for release on March 10, promises to provide unprecedented insight into the turbulent personal life of one of entertainment's most enduring icons, revealing a woman whose romantic journey has been as dramatic and complex as her legendary career.
