Latino singer Ricky Martin admits he is homosexual

Latino pop star Ricky Martin on Monday announced in a blog posting that he was homosexual, ending years of speculation.

"I am proud to say that I am a fortunate, homosexual man," Martin wrote in a blog posting at www.rickymartinmusic.com.

"This is just what I need, especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids were born with," he wrote.

Martin, 38, became a father of twin sons via a surrogate in 2008. At the time no details were given about the birth or the mother.

The Puerto Rican singer of hits such as Livin' la Vida Loca has long been the subject of speculation about his sexuality. In 2000, TV journalist Barbara Walters grilled him about whether he was homosexual, but he refused to disclose it.

In his posting on Monday, Martin said a few months ago he had decided to write a memoir and doing so brought him closer to what he called "an amazing turning point in my life.

"Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating," he wrote.

The singer began his career with boy band Menudo and broke out as a solo artiste and teen idol in the 1990s in Spanish-speaking countries.

He released his first, English-language album in 1999, the self-titled Ricky Martin, which saw two major hits, Livin' la Vida Loca and She's All I Ever Had.

Since then, Martin has been a star in both North America and South America.

Jarrett Barrios, president of the US-based Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), welcomed what he called Martin's "openness and honesty".